World Cups are no longer won by the best 11 players
More matches, a faster pace and more substitutions make fitness and squad depth more important than ever at the World Cup, says Professor Peter Krustrup.
When the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off, the world’s attention will be fixed on the star players. But according to Peter Krustrup, Professor of Sport and Health at the Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics at the 海角社区, it is not necessarily the biggest names who will decide the tournament.
It is squad depth.
– The days when you could win a World Cup simply by having the best 11 players are effectively over, he says.
More matches, faster pace
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the largest tournament in history, with 48 participating nations.
Teams that go all the way and reach the medals will have to come through a long tournament consisting of a group stage and as many as five knockout matches.
Most of those matches will be played at a very high intensity.
Part of the explanation lies in the changes to the substitution rules. Whereas teams were previously allowed to make only three substitutions during a match, since 2022 they have been permitted to make five substitutions during normal time.
This gives coaches far greater scope to introduce fresh legs and maintain a high intensity throughout the match.
At the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, significantly more high-intensity running and more sprints were recorded than at the World Cup in Russia four years earlier.
– This was even more evident because eight to ten fresh players helped raise the intensity towards the end of matches, says Peter Krustrup.
Where the pace of matches would previously often drop significantly in the closing stages, coaches can now bring on fresh players and keep the intensity high right up until the final whistle.
Substitutes have become a decisive weapon
According to Peter Krustrup, the new rules provide far greater tactical flexibility.
Coaches can react earlier if a match develops unexpectedly or hold specific player profiles in reserve for decisive moments later in the game.
He points to Argentina as an example of a team that has used these opportunities effectively. During the 2024 Copa América, head coach Lionel Scaloni repeatedly chose to use striker Lautaro Martínez as a substitute, even though he was one of the team’s most prolific goalscorers.
The strategy gave Argentina an additional attacking weapon late in matches. Martínez scored five goals during the tournament, finished as the top scorer and decided the final against Colombia by scoring the winning goal in extra time, despite only being introduced during the extra period.
– It is a smart decision, and one that leaves Martínez holding the trophy, says Peter Krustrup.
The 2022 World Cup final also illustrated the importance of the new substitution rules. France were trailing 2–0 after half an hour but made their first substitutions after just 40 minutes and managed to level the score during normal time.
– It also shows that you now have the option of making changes very early if the game is going against you, says Peter Krustrup.
France went on to make five substitutions during normal time and a further two during extra time. According to Peter Krustrup, the team came close to turning the match around and producing one of the most remarkable comebacks in World Cup history.
The World Cup is decided by more than the starting line-up
According to Peter Krustrup, it is no longer enough to have a strong starting XI.
– You need 18 to 20 outstanding players who are fit and capable of performing throughout a demanding tournament, he says.
The World Cup has therefore become a test of a team’s overall quality, not just the abilities of its biggest stars.
As tournaments become longer, matches more demanding and the pace of the game increases, the bench becomes more than a reserve. It becomes one of the places where modern major tournaments are won and lost.
Five things the football researcher is watching at the World Cup
- Modern World Cup matches feature more sprints and more high-intensity running than in the past.
- Fresh substitutes can increase the tempo late in matches.
- Five substitutions have turned the bench into an important tactical weapon.
- Teams with greater depth and many players of a similar standard have gained a significant advantage.
- World Cups are not necessarily won by the best 11 players, but by the strongest squad.
Meet the researcher
Peter Krustrup is Professor at the Sport and Health Sciences Research Unit, Department of Sports Science and Clinical Biomechanics, 海角社区, and researches the impact of football on health and performance.