Generated 2026-07-19 08:25 UTC · google/gemma-3-27b-it
World Cup 2026 – Crossing Analysis (Early Stages)
Standout Performers: Canada leads in accurate crosses, despite a relatively high total cross volume. Uruguay closely follows, demonstrating efficiency alongside a high crossing rate. England’s numbers are also strong, suggesting a clear tactical emphasis.
Style & Finishing: The data indicates a trend towards teams attempting – and succeeding with – direct play. Teams averaging above the league median for accurate crosses (7/10 teams listed) are consistently getting balls into dangerous areas. This could point to a tournament favouring strong aerial ability in both attack and defence.
Surprising Outlier: Scotland’s relatively low total cross volume combined with a high accuracy rate (5.67) is notable. They appear to be prioritising quality over quantity, a less common approach.
Watch For: The Netherlands and Belgium both have similar crossing stats, but relatively low match counts. It will be interesting to see if they increase their crossing volume in upcoming matches, or if their current approach is sustainable.
Total Crosses/match
— average crosses attempted per match.
Accurate Crosses/match
— average crosses per match that successfully found a teammate.
Bubble size
— bigger for a better (lower-numbered) FIFA Men's World Ranking position — size scales inversely with the log of the rank, so the spread is gentle rather than dramatic.
Dotted lines
— median value on each axis across all teams shown, splitting the chart into four quadrants.
Color
— confederation (continental governing body) of the team.
AI Commentary
Generated 2026-07-19 08:25 UTC · google/gemma-3-27b-it
World Cup 2026 – Crossing Analysis (Early Stages)