FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, Arsène Wenger, has explained the inclusion of former Ghana head coach Otto Addo in the Technical Study Group (TSG) for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Addo joins an elite panel featuring notable names such as Tobin Heath, Jürgen Klinsmann, Jayne Ludlow, Michael O’Neill, Gilberto Silva, Jon Dahl Tomasson, Paulo Wanchope, Aron Winter and Pablo Zabaleta.
The group will operate under the leadership of FIFA Senior Football Expert Pascal Zuberbühler and Football Performance Insights Lead Tom Gardner, supported by analysts, data scientists and performance specialists working from Miami, Dallas and Manchester throughout the tournament staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Speaking to FIFA, Wenger said the TSG will play a key role in shaping understanding of modern football.
“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,” Wenger told FIFA.
He added that advanced analytics will be central to their work during the tournament.
“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.”
The TSG will analyse all 104 matches at the World Cup from stadium vantage points or a dedicated performance hub in Miami. Members will have access to multiple camera angles and thousands of live data points per match, and will also help select players for official tournament awards.
Otto Addo’s appointment comes after a mixed spell in charge of the Ghana national football team, where he previously guided the Black Stars to the World Cup but was later dismissed following back-to-back defeats against Austria and Germany in March.
Meanwhile, Ghana are preparing for the 2026 tournament in North America, where they have been drawn in Group L alongside England, Croatia and Panama.
The Black Stars will open their campaign against Panama in Toronto on June 17, before facing England in Boston on June 23 and concluding the group stage against Croatia in Philadelphia on June 27.
