About this Research Topic
• It was scheduled in November/December instead of the usual June/July due to the challenging ambient temperature and relative humidity in Qatar,
• For the first time,
- all continents were represented in round of 16,
- an African national team (link with heat acclimatization/acclimation?) reached the top 4,
- a maximum of five substitutions per game were allowed, instead of the historical three,
- an all-female refereeing trio managed a men’s match,
• Introduction of enhanced football intelligence with innovative statistics displayed on TV, such as “ball possession in-contest” instead of the traditional way as “team A vs. team B”,
• After a 20 year wait, a team from South America won again the FIFA WORLD CUP™, breaking the European sequence of victories – the longest in history.
• Qatar edition was also the latest competitive format with 32 participating teams,
• A unique competition context without any long or medium distance travel (all stadiums in the same city),
In addition to all these points, polemics relating to human rights also happened, fostering hot debates worldwide.
The role and impact of the sport science upon various actions real-world outcomes (e.g., heat acclimatization, decision-making process for player selection and in-game substitutions) during the tournament warrants investigation. Therefore, the goal of the present research topic is to broaden and deepen the discussion of new involving all aspects of the game, presenting evidence-based findings related to, but not limited to, the physical, technical, tactical, psychological, socio-cultural factors that played a role in this unique 2022 FIFA WORLD CUP™, and that are susceptible to pave the way for upcoming international competitions (e.g., 2024 UEFA European Championship, 2024 CONMEBOL Copa America or 2026 FIFA WORLD CUP™).
We are seeking submission of Original Research, Review, Mini-Review articles, as well as Case Reports and Brief Research Reports. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
• Physical and physiological determinants and training/preparation of soccer players and referees,
• Match or (pre-/post-) competition day interventions, including ergogenic (e.g., nutrition, heat strategies) aiming to improve physical and psychological readiness, performance and/or recovery,
• Technical, tactical and cognitive analysis,
• Usefulness of technological advancements for monitoring play or refereeing decisions,
• Socio-cultural approaches related to competition-specific context (e.g., Qatar).
Keywords: soccer, football, FIFA, world cup, sport science, competition
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.