Key performance indicators in elite blind and partially sighted football

Footballers with vision impairment (VI) compete in three forms of the sport: (1) male blind football, where players wear eyeshades and, at best, can perceive light; (2) partially sighted football, where individuals use their remaining sight; and (3) women's blind football, where athletes compete together whilst wearing eyeshades.Currently, the key performance indicators (KPI) are unknown.This study aimed to identify the KPIs for male blind, women's blind, and partially sighted football.Video match analysis provided notational data of 39 male blind, 18 women's blind and 15 partially sighted world championship matches; each were analysed separately.Male blind: Passing efficiency had the greatest impact on a team's win ratio.Women's blind: Offensive zone entries had the greatest impact on a team's win ratio.Partially sighted: The number of VI players fielded significantly predicted win ratio; Passing efficiency trended towards significance.A possession-based strategy with efficient passing contributed to better male blind football performance.A direct style of play that maximised offensive zone entries equated to higher success in women's blind teams.A counterattacking style contributed to better performance in partially sighted football.Unique technical and tactical demands were evidenced through critical KPIs differing across each version of the sport.