The TSG members in Chile shared their observations and current trends with accredited journalists.
They highlighted the high level of competition and the various playing styles that they have observed throughout the tournament.
They also pointed out specific aspects such as the role of the goalkeeper during short goal kicks, and the use of zonal marking at corners.
The FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG) has presented its analysis of the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™.
FIFA Senior Football Expert Pascal Zuberbühler, TSG members Marcin Dorna and Marcelo Jara and FIFA Senior Football Performance Analyst Harry Lowe spoke with accredited journalists to share their insights and recent trends they have identified.
"The tournament has been a resounding success in terms of the level of football, with the national sides' different playing styles offering us valuable lessons. We have also seen some extraordinary talent. The tournament has been truly special," Jara said.
FIFA Technical Study Group shares insights on the FIFA U-20 World Cup Chile 2025™
Dorna highlighted how "enriching it is to see different cultures reflected in the way each team approaches the game," as well as "observing the tactical and strategic diversity" of each side. "Seeing teams from different confederations all in one place is priceless," he added.
"We love seeing the media's interest in our conclusions based on data analysis from this incredible tournament," Zuberbühler said. "Using data is becoming increasingly dominant in football, and having access to them live, while we watch the games, helps us explain the trends we see on the pitch," he emphasised.
Among the more specific trends, Zuberbühler pointed out the growing involvement of goalkeepers in build-up play, especially from goal kicks.
"If we compare the current data to the U-20 World Cup in Argentina, two key things stand out. Firstly, short goal kicks have increased by 13%; secondly, in 18% of those cases, it is an outfield player who passes the ball to the goalkeeper, compared to just 2% two years ago," he explained.
"This shows that goalkeepers are having more influence in how the play is initiated in today's game: they now decide whether to play short passes, a medium-length ball, or a longer kick," Zuberbühler said.
Dorna explained another emerging trend related to crosses during open play.
"Compared to the World Cup in Argentina, there have been almost two hundred fewer crosses, but they are coming from closer to the goal. Instead of crossing from wide areas, they do so from inside the box and play the ball along the ground, rather than in the air," Dorna said.
"This correlates with the fact that more of those crosses are ending in goals scored with the feet rather than headers. That is to say, there are fewer crosses, and they are coming in differently, but the effectiveness in converting them into goals is greater."
Lastly, Jara spoke about a defensive trend. "We have seen a 15% increase in the number of sides opting for zonal marking at corners: here, 45% of teams are using it, compared to just 30% at Argentina 2023. This has come at the expense of the other two systems: man-to-man marking has decreased from 28% to 22%, and the mixed system has dropped from 39% to 32%.
"Of the four countries that reached the semi-finals, Argentina (95% of the time) and France (59%) opted for the zonal system; Colombia, however, preferred man-to-man marking (100%) while Morocco prioritised the mixed system (60%) over zonal marking (36%).
"We do not believe that one system is better than the other; what matters is how the ball is attacked. We understand that the choice of system depends on the coach and the characteristics of the players."
It is important to remember that the Technical Study Group is responsible for selecting the winners of the tournament's individual awards. All of their findings will be available on the FIFA Training Centre, an innovative platform accessible to all footballers and coaches worldwide.