Sprints, decelerations and turns most commonly precede goals in soccer: Analysis of 6 FIFA world cups

This study investigated actions preceding goals in male and female players across 6 FIFA World Cups. This is the first longitudinal, multi‐sex analysis of goal actions using world‐class data, extending validity and findings beyond the current evidence base (domestic, single‐sex studies). In total, 2995 actions preceding goals from open‐play were analysed across the last 6 men's’ and women's FIFA world cups (2014–2023) using the modified Bloomfield method. Additionally, possible longitudinal (tournament cycle), sex, and role‐based (i.e., scorer vs. assister) differences were examined using Bayesian and chi‐squared analyses. Linear advancing movements (≈41%), particularly sprinting, were the most prevalent actions leading to goals, followed by deceleration (≈22%) and turns (≈19%) (Cramer's V = 0.27–0.38; p < 0.05). Longitudinal, between‐sex and between‐role (i.e., scorer vs. assister) differences were predominantly minimal for movement types (Bayes Factors [BF10] < 0.01; Cramer's V = 0.02–0.06; p > 0.05). Sprinting preceded goals more prevalently for males (43.4%) and scorers (43.2%), when compared with females (39.0%) and assisters (39.1%), respectively (Cramer's V = 0.04–0.10; p < 0.05). Female players performed significantly greater proportions of actions at high intensity versus males (53.0 vs. 47.9%; BF10 = 38.7; Cramer's V = 0.369; p < 0.05), and the 2022/2023 cycle had lower proportion of actions at high intensity compared to earlier cycles (46.6% vs. 52.3%–52.5%; BF10 = 0.019; Cramer's V = 0.06; p < 0.05). This analysis highlights the importance of sprinting, decelerating, and turning for goal‐scoring. Therefore, enhancing players' physiological and mechanical reserves to undertake these actions, as and when required during match‐play, appears prudent. Further, analysts/coaches may apply this information to identify decisive goalscoring actions and design targeted training drills accordingly.