Set-piece boom unlikely to dominate World Cup, says FIFA’s Technical Study Group
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Argentina's Lionel Messi takes a corner kick during the 2022 Qatar World Cup.
LOS ANGELES – Set-piece prowess may be reshaping club football, but FIFA's Technical Study Group (TSG) said on May 11 that dead-ball dominance is unlikely to define the 2026 World Cup.
The reason is that, unlike club teams who train together on a daily basis and could polish what they are trying to accomplish to a great extent, there is limited preparation time for international sides.
Speaking at a FIFA media roundtable a month before the expanded 48-team tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico, TSG members discussed the emerging trends, including Arsenal-style set-piece specialisation.
In April, Premier League leaders Arsenal – dubbed the “set-piece kings” – set a record for most goals (17) scored from corners in a single Premier League season.
“I’d be interested to see how the other teams approach this,” said Gilberto Silva, a former Gunners midfielder who won the 2002 World Cup with Brazil.
“We have seen this season, especially in the Premier League with Arsenal. In the last few years, corner kicks and long balls were not used as much compared to when I played, when they were more common.
“This season, Arsenal have scored so many goals from set-pieces. This became something very special, a strong weapon for them, and they took advantage.
“But I'm not so sure the World Cup will be the same, because you don’t have much time to prepare a team for these tournaments. Of course, it can be a weapon and teams will use it, but not as the main one.
“I expect tight games, with a lot of practical aspects and teams looking to exploit transitions to break through.”
Set-pieces were not the only thing on the agenda that was discussed.
The 2025 Club World Cup in the US, which served as a dress rehearsal for the showpiece tournament, also highlighted the potential impact of scorching heat.
“In general, the Club World Cup showed a very similar level of intensity in the matches compared to the 2022 World Cup when we looked at some of the key games,” said Tom Gardner, Lead of Football Performance Insights.
“So I’m sure heat may be a factor in how teams manage that. But we don’t expect to see on a physical level very similar outputs to 2022, as we did at the 2025 Club World Cup.”
Silva suggested that the cooling breaks in either half during World Cup matches will be vital, and not only because of the heat.
The 49-year-old said: “I’m sure in this moment it will be a special opportunity for coaches, because previously they could only speak to players at half-time and now they have two more chances to speak to the players, so it could be important.”
The TSG will provide analysis of all matches at the World Cup.
Guided by FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsene Wenger, the group includes figures such as Silva, Jurgen Klinsmann and Pablo Zabaleta, and is supported by a team of analysts and data specialists. REUTERS
