For more than 60 years, starting with the 1966 FIFA World Cup England™, the FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) has monitored matches at international tournaments and identified the latest footballing trends.

The TSG comprises experts with extensive past experience at the highest level of international football, generally as national coaches or players. Their role is by no means confined to observing individual matches and training sessions at a tournament, as they also consult national coaches to discuss certain aspects of team preparation and training, for example, and to ascertain each team’s expectations of the tournament at hand. The information TSG members gather is then evaluated in a series of in-depth discussions involving a wide-ranging exchange of views. Later, this is summarised in the official tactical and technical analysis of the tournament.