Former Black Stars head coach Otto Addo has been appointed to FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG) for the 2026 FIFA World Cup to be staged in North America.
The appointment makes Addo the only African representative on the elite panel tasked with analysing matches and identifying tactical trends throughout the tournament.
FIFA announced the Technical Study Group as part of preparations for the expanded 2026 World Cup, which will feature 48 nations and 104 matches across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The group, guided by FIFA Chief of Global Football Development Arsène Wenger, includes former players, coaches and football experts from across the globe. Members named alongside Addo are Tobin Heath, Jürgen Klinsmann, Jayne Ludlow, Michael O’Neill, Gilberto Silva, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Paulo Wanchope, Aron Winter and Pablo Zabaleta.
The panel will operate under FIFA Senior Football Expert Pascal Zuberbühler and Lead of Football Performance Insights Tom Gardner, with support from analysts, data engineers and performance experts stationed in Miami, Dallas and Manchester.
According to FIFA, the Technical Study Group will provide tactical and technical analysis of every game during the competition while also helping to shape the future development of football globally.
“The Technical Study Group helps identify trends in the game, prepare future generations for football’s development and contribute to making the sport more exciting by highlighting the qualities players will need in the future,” said Wenger.
“With an unprecedented level of high-quality data, the TSG will be able to describe, analyse and interpret what is happening on the pitch in a way that inspires both technical experts and football fans. We are not only collecting more data than before but also trying to strike the right balance between technical expertise and data. At the same time, we want to share our technical observations in real time during the tournament.”
FIFA also revealed that the tournament will feature enhanced football intelligence tools, offering real-time metrics and performance data to broadcasters, fans and participating teams through advanced graphics and augmented reality visuals.
Members of the TSG will analyse all matches either from tactical viewing positions inside the stadiums or from FIFA’s dedicated performance suite in Miami, with access to multiple live video angles and thousands of data points during games.
The panel will also play a role in selecting winners of the tournament’s individual awards.
FIFA added that supporters worldwide will be able to access technical insights and match analysis through the FIFA Training Centre’s social media platforms and YouTube channel during the tournament.
