World football governing body FIFA has selected an 11-member Technical Study Group (TSG) for the 2026 World Cup, which is scheduled to commence on June 11 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The panel will be guided by FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger.
Composition of the Technical Study Group
The TSG comprises Otto Addo (Ghana), Tobin Heath (USA), Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany), Jayne Ludlow (Wales), Michael O'Neill (Northern Ireland), Gilberto Silva (Brazil), Jon Dahl Tomasson (Denmark), Paulo Wanchope (Costa Rica), Aron Winter (Netherlands), and Pablo Zabaleta (Argentina). The group will be led by FIFA Senior Football Expert Pascal Zuberbuhler and Lead of Football Performance Insights (FPI) Tom Gardner, with support from a team of football analysts, data engineers, data scientists, and performance analysts based in Miami, Dallas, and Manchester (United Kingdom).
Objectives and Analysis
FIFA stated that the TSG will deliver cutting-edge analysis of all matches at the tournament, aiming to enhance global understanding of the game. During the competition, FIFA will share the most modern metrics and performance data in World Cup history with worldwide TV and online audiences, as well as participating teams and players. The Enhanced Football Intelligence service, developed by FIFA's FPI team and Wenger, will provide new insights through augmented reality and traditional graphics for both in-match and post-match analysis.
“The Technical Study Group helps identify trends in the game, prepare future generations for football’s development and contribute to making the sport more exciting by highlighting the qualities players will need in the future,” said Wenger. “With an unprecedented level of high-quality data, the TSG will be able to describe, analyse and interpret what is happening on the pitch in a way that inspires both technical experts and football fans. We are not only collecting more data than before but also trying to strike the right balance between technical expertise and data. At the same time, we want to share our technical observations in real time during the tournament.”
Match Analysis and Awards
The TSG will analyze all 104 matches of the 2026 FIFA World Cup from a tactical position at the stadium or their dedicated performance suite in Miami. They will have access to six video angles and thousands of data points live during each match. Additionally, TSG members will select the players to be crowned in the tournament awards.
