In line with the FIFA President’s Vision 2020-2023 to harness technology to further improve football, players at the FIFA World Cup 2022™️ in Qatar will be able to get insights into their on-field performance through the FIFA Player App, FIFA announced on Friday September 23.
FIFA has developed the FIFA Player App, based on input from professional players, in collaboration with FIFPRO, the global representative of professional footballers. The FIFA Player App will be used for the first time at a FIFA World Cup™️ in Qatar. The survey and interviews conducted show that players are very interested in their performance data and want to have easy access to this information. The FIFA Player App will provide the opportunity for each player to access their individual player-performance data shortly after each match. The data collected includes the following:
Enhanced football data metrics – calculated from enhanced event data, captured by a team of highly trained FIFA football performance analysts, combined with tracking data. Examples include whether a player made an offer or movement to receive, whether their distribution action broke opposition lines, and the pressure they applied to an opponent in possession of the ball. All metrics are captured against the FIFA Football Language definitions.
Physical performance metrics – collected through a highly accurate in-stadium tracking system consisting of multiple cameras located around the pitch for maximum player coverage. Metrics include distance covered at various speed thresholds, number of actions above 25km/h, and maximum speed, all displayed on positional heat maps.
Enhanced football intelligence metrics – created by the FIFA Football Performance Analysis & Insights team through the development of a series of algorithms and models that operate live to integrate event and tracking data. The new metrics provide innovative and exciting ways to analyse the game, including the phase of play, line-breaking events, receiving locations, and pressure being applied to the player in possession of the ball.
This data is then synchronized with match footage to enable players to watch all key moments of their own performance in detail, using different camera angles.
The FIFA Player App was successfully tried with players from different teams at the FIFA Arab Cup 2021™️ and was presented to the FIFA World Cup participating teams during the recent Team Workshop in Doha.
Johannes Holzmüller, FIFA Director of Football Technology & Innovation, said: “For the first time at a FIFA World Cup, not only the participating teams but also all players will have the opportunity to get direct access to their own performance data and the related video clips after each match. This player-centric development is based on direct feedback from the players and is another great example of how FIFA is using technology to the best of its potential by improving the football experience for the key actors on the pitch.”
This innovation is a first visible outcome of the collaboration between FIFA and FIFPRO on the development of standards and best practices for the collection, protection and use of personal player-performance data. Both organizations have been working closely together to define a Charter of Player Data Rights with the goal of developing these standards whilst transparently informing football players about their privacy rights according to existing legislation such as the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).
One of the goals of FIFA's Vision 2020-2023 is to harness technology to best serve football, players and the game - and that includes the way FIFA processes the personal data of players.
