When Network Research Becomes a World Cup Factor: CRSA Member Ulrik Brandes in NZZ and Kicker
ETH professor and CRSA member advises the Swiss national team with data-driven tactical analysis, NZZ and Kicker report
During the 2026 World Cup, Ulrik Brandes' network research repeatedly made its way into the media. The ETH professor has been advising the Swiss national team's analysts for five years and visited the team's training camp in San Diego ahead of the tournament.
At the center of his work is a method that turns tracking data into so-called form graphs and position plots: color-coded patterns that reveal a player's actual tactical role, regardless of the lineup shown on screen. What would otherwise take hours of video analysis, the algorithm delivers in minutes, an advantage during the short preparation windows between World Cup matches.
His research also drew attention beyond tactical analysis. An evaluation of roughly 50,000 penalty kicks from 2012 to 2023 debunked a widespread myth: that the team shooting first in a penalty shootout holds an advantage. According to Brandes, this finding has since been confirmed by further studies.
NZZ dedicated three articles to the topic, and Kicker covered it as well. For CRSA, that's a reminder that the research our members conduct doesn't stay in the seminar room, it shapes elite sport.
Links to the articles:
NZZ, Die Wissenschaft des Elfmeters: Warum selbst die Besten vom Punkt scheitern
Kicker, Innovative WM-Vorbereitung: ETH-Professor hilft der Nati bei der Gegneranalyse