Sex Differences in Passing Performance in Elite International Football: A Multidimensional Analysis of Pass Length and Pitch Zone in Fifa World Cups
References
- Cakmak A., Uzun A., Delibas E. (2018). Computational Modeling of Pass Effectiveness in Soccer. Advances in Complex Systems 21(3-4), 1850010. DOI: 10.1142/S0219525918500108
- M., Konefał M., Chmura P., Andrzejewski M., Zając T., Chmura J. (2017). Pass completion rate and match outcome at the World Cup in Brazil in 2014. Polish Journal of Sport and Tourism 24(1), 30-34. DOI: 10.1515/pjst-2017-0004
- Pappalardo L., Rossi A., Natilli M., Cintia P. (2021). Explaining the difference between men's and women's football. PloS One 16(8), e0255407. DOI: 10.1371/journal. pone.0255407
- Scholtes A., Karakuş O. (2024). Bayes-xG: Player and position correction on expected goals (xG) using Bayesian hierarchical approach. Frontiers in Sports and Active Living 6, 1348983. DOI: 10.3389/fspor.2024.1348983
- Deb B., Fernandez-Navarro J., McRobert A.P., Jarman I. (2024) Finding repeatable progressive pass clusters and application in international football. Journal of Sports Analytics 9(4), 289-303. DOI 10.3233/JSA-220732
- Bandara I., Shelyag S., Rajasegarar S., Dwyer D., Kim E.J. et al. (2024). Predicting goal probabilities with improved xG models using event sequences in association football. PloS One 19(10), e0312278. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0312278
- Forcher L., Forcher L., Wäsche H., Jekauc D., Woll A. et al. (2023). Is ball-possession style more physically demanding than counter-attacking? The influence of playing style on match performance in professional soccer. Frontiers in Psychology 14, 1197039. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1197039
- Schwarz E., Duffield R., Novak A.R., Compton D.A., Meyer T. (2025). Associations between match-play characteristics and environmental temperatures in 4 professional football leagues. European Journal of Sport Science 25(3), e12256. DOI: 10.1002/ejsc.12256
- Caicedo-Parada S., Lago-Peñas C., Ortega-Toro E. (2020). Passing networks and tactical action in football: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 17(18), 6649. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17186649
- Hughes M., Franks I. (2005). Analysis of passing sequences, shots and goals in soccer. Journal of Sports Sciences 23(5), 509-514. DOI: 10.1080/02640410410001716779
- McGuckian T.B., Cole M.H., Chalkley D., Jordet G., Pepping G.J. (2020). Constraints on visual exploration of youth football players during 11v11 match-play: The influence of playing role, pitch position and phase of play. Journal of Sports Sciences 38(6), 658-668. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2020.1723375
- Coutinho D., Gonçalves B., Travassos B., Abade E., Wong D.P. et al. (2019). Effects of pitch spatial references on players' positioning and physical performances during football small-sided games. Journal of Sports Sciences 37(7), 741-747. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2018.1523671
- Smith R.A., Lyons K. (2017). A strategic analysis of goals scored in open play in four FIFA World Cup football championships between 2002 and 2014. International Journal of Sports Science & Coaching 12(3), 398-403. DOI: 10.1177/1747954117710
- da Mota G.R., Thiengo C.R., Gimenes S.V., Bradley P.S. (2016). The effects of ball possession status on physical and technical indicators during the 2014 FIFA World Cup Finals. Journal of Sports Sciences 34(6), 493-500. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2015.1114660
- Coito N., Folgado H., Monteiro D., Travassos B. (2023). How football players' age affect passing patterns of play according to field location. Children (Basel) 10(1), 157. DOI: 10.3390/children10010157
- Yang C., Kolbinger O. (2024). Equal pass: Comparing passing networks of England’s top women’s and men’s football leagues. European Journal of Sport Sciences 3(5), 25-32. DOI: 10.24018/ejsport.2024.3.5.201
- Ju W., Kim B., Lee J., Choi S.H. (2025). Gender disparities in match performance at FIFA World Cups: more direct play, less off-ball movement, and less pressing in women’s matches. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport 26(3), 541-556. DOI: 10.1080/24748668.2025.2523700
- Iván-Baragaño I., Maneiro R., Losada J.L., Casal C.A., Ardá A. (2024). Technical–tactical differences between female and male elite football: A data mining approach through neural network analysis, binary logistic regression, and decision tree techniques. Proceedings of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, Part P: Journal of Sports Engineering and Technology 240(2), 17543371241254602. DOI: 10.1177/17543371241254602
- StatsBomb (2026). "StatsBomb Open Data." Retrieved March 15, 2026, from https://github.com/statsbomb/open-data.
- Gregory S., Robertson S., Aughey R., Duthie G. (2022). The influence of tactical and match context on player movement in football. Journal of Sports Sciences 40(9), 1063-1077. DOI: 10.1080/02640414.2022.2046938
- Taha T., Orlov I. (2025). More direct attacks increase likelihood of goals in 2018- and 2022-Men’s World Cup Soccer Finals. PloS One 20(3), e0314630. DOI: 10.1371/journal. pone.0314630
- Taheri-Araghi S., Ghadimi M., Del Coso J. (2025). Comparative analysis of passing, possession, and goal-scoring trends in Euro 2024 and Copa America 2024. Sports (Basel) 13(10), 357. DOI: 10.3390/sports13100357
- Zhang Y., Li D., Gómez-Ruano M.A., Memmert D., Li C. et al. (2022). The effect of the video assistant referee (VAR) on referees' decisions at FIFA Women's World Cups. Frontiers in Psychology 13, 984367. DOI:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.984367
- Cohen, J. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum.
- Richardson J.T.E. (2011). Eta squared and partial eta squared as measures of effect size in educational research. Educational Research Review 6(2), 135-147. DOI: 10.1016/j.edurev. 2010.12.001
- Norton K. (2025). Update on the evolution of World Cup soccer: men and women. International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport 25(4), 639-652. DOI: 10.1080/24748668.2024.2436276
Language: English
Page range: 10 - 18
Submitted on: Jun 28, 2026
Accepted on: Jul 5, 2026
Published on: Jul 14, 2026
Published by: University of Physical Education in Warsaw
In partnership with: Paradigm Publishing Services
Related subjects:
© 2026 Taiki Miyazawa, Momo Komatsu, Yuki Shibata, Daisuke Ichikawa, published by University of Physical Education in Warsaw
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 License.