{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T20:04:03Z","timestamp":1784837043820,"version":"3.55.0"},"reference-count":25,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1784764800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosone.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS One"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Physical performance demands in elite international football have evolved substantially in recent decades, yet longitudinal comparisons across FIFA confederations remain limited.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n                    <jats:title>Objective<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>This study examined long-term changes in physical performance demands among outfield players from five confederations (UEFA, CONMEBOL, CONCACAF, CAF, and AFC) using tracking data from 225 matches at the 2010\u20132022 FIFA World Cups.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Generalised mixed linear models were used to estimate changes in total distance, top speed, sprint (&gt;25 km\u00b7h\u2009\u207b\u2009\u00b9), low-intensity running distance (&lt;15 km\u00b7h\u2009\u207b\u2009\u00b9), and high-intensity running distance (\u226515 km\u00b7h\u2009\u207b\u2009\u00b9), with confederation as the main factor and match status, location, and team and opponent strength controlled.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Across confederations, substantial increases were observed in top speed, sprint, and low-intensity running distance from 2010 to 2022, indicating a uniform rise in speed-related demands. In contrast, changes in total distance and high-intensity running distance were confederation-specific. Total distance increased between 2018 and 2022 in AFC, CONCACAF, and UEFA, but showed no substantial change in CONMEBOL. High-intensity running distance declined in AFC, CONMEBOL, and UEFA, while changes in CAF were trivial.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec id=\"sec005\">\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>These findings indicate that speed-related demands have increased globally, whereas total and high-intensity running demands remain region-specific across FIFA World Cup editions.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pone.0354205","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]],"date-time":"2026-07-23T19:14:21Z","timestamp":1784834061000},"page":"e0354205","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pone.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Long-term physical performance trends across the five confederations: Evidence from the 19th to 22nd FIFA World Cup editions (2010\u20132022)"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"21","author":[{"given":"Xiao","family":"Yang","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0009-0000-0670-8235","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Liangzhu","family":"Feng","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,7,23]]},"reference":[{"issue":"12","key":"pone.0354205.ref001","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3834","DOI":"10.3390\/s25123834","article-title":"Comparative analysis of in-match physical requirements across national and international competitive contexts in cerebral palsy football","volume":"25","author":"JF Maggiolo","year":"2025","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"key":"pone.0354205.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4324\/9780203448625","volume-title":"Handbook of soccer match analysis: A systematic approach to improving performance","author":"C Carling","year":"2007"},{"issue":"10","key":"pone.0354205.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"839","DOI":"10.2165\/00007256-200838100-00004","article-title":"The role of motion analysis in elite soccer: contemporary performance measurement techniques and work rate data","volume":"38","author":"C Carling","year":"2008","journal-title":"Sports Med"},{"issue":"3","key":"pone.0354205.ref004","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"222","DOI":"10.1055\/s-2006-924294","article-title":"Performance characteristics according to playing position in elite soccer","volume":"28","author":"V Di Salvo","year":"2007","journal-title":"Int J Sports Med"},{"issue":"2","key":"pone.0354205.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"197","DOI":"10.5114\/biolsport.2018.74196","article-title":"Match outcome and running performance in different intensity ranges among elite soccer players","volume":"35","author":"P Chmura","year":"2018","journal-title":"Biol Sport"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0354205.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"108","DOI":"10.37393\/JASS.2019.01.11","article-title":"Time-motion analysis of the football world cup in Russia 2018","volume":"3","author":"P Peev","year":"2019","journal-title":"JASS"},{"issue":"1","key":"pone.0354205.ref007","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"65","DOI":"10.5114\/biolsport.2020.97668","article-title":"How did three consecutive matches with extra time affect physical performance? 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