FIFA’s Football Performance Analysis and Insights team has developed new statistical tools enabling real-time match analysis whereby enhanced metrics can be made available 30 seconds after a match event occurs and will be used at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar later this year.The technology was trialed at the intercontinental play-offs for Qatar 2022 by a group of football data experts that used the high-stakes international matches to test the new hi-tech match-analysis tools known collectively as Enhanced Football Intelligence (EFI).The new data, which includes line breaks, the pressure applied to a ball carrier, and when a team loses the ball under pressure, will be made available live during matches to all stakeholders – among them broadcasters, fans, and app users – and can help explain a team’s style of play and add context to match results.🚨Football data experts trialled new hi-tech match-analysis tools known as Enhanced Football Intelligence (EFI) at the recent World Cup intercontinental play-offs.The data will be made available to broadcasters & fans within 30 seconds of an in-game event. pic.twitter.com/MQlXHEzomN— Sports Arena 254 (@SportsArena254) June 22, 2022 EFI metrics are designed to enhance the flow of live monitoring and match-event data, which is sent in real-time by external providers straight to the FIFA database. The data is then forwarded to models and fed into algorithms that calculate the results. These are sent back to the FIFA data hub, which then distributes the EFI metrics to all stakeholders 30 seconds after the event.“The games were a successful proof of concept for our Enhanced Football Intelligence infrastructureThe metrics insights processing time i.e. the time from the first reception of a message from the provider feeds, to sending the insight, took under two seconds on average. The complete process – from the pitch through our external providers, to the screens – takes less than 30 seconds for event-based metrics. This enables us to show relevant insights at the right time, and thereby create a new, enhanced experience for football fans and other stakeholders,” said football data engineer Sirius Saberi.Last RT: last week our team tested the calculations and use of the new live enhanced football intelligence metrics that will be showcased throughout the live broadcasts of this year’s FIFA World Cup to help everyone better understand what’s happening on the pitch!— Rob Suddaby (@robsuddaby) June 22, 2022 While the speed of calculation, analysis, and dissemination of the data is a remarkable feat in itself, there is still a need to choose the right time to reveal them during a match. At Qatar 2022, two highly qualified and experienced analysts will have the job of deciding when certain data and metrics should be revealed in accordance with the events taking place on the pitch at any given time to avoid giving teams an advantage over the other.The tournament’s technical team will receive the metrics live during games, in support of their match analysis. The metrics will also provide additional information to assist with overall analysis of the tournament and the designation of the end-of-tournament awards to players.Over the next months, FIFA will post videos explaining how these new technologies are used and what they bring to football analysis and the understanding of the game.
