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Football · Level 10: Professional · Sub-level 10.106

AI & Machine Learning in Football

10 tests · 100 facts · updated 12 October 2026 · markdown

How AI and machine learning are used in football: tracking from cameras and TV pictures, TacticAI, the models behind xG, the connected ball, scouting, integrity, data rights, media and the contested claims.

Each test below is ten questions on Insporta. The list under a test is what the questions check: one fact per question, with the source it was written from. Read it before the test, or come back from a wrong answer.

Test 1Tracking from camerasTake a test

  1. Event data logs actions; tracking logs positions, usually about 25 times a second.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  2. It lets analysts track leagues without cameras installed in the stadium.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  3. The camera follows the ball, so players far from it are often off screen.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  4. Hawk-Eye began in cricket and tennis before its goal-line and VAR systems.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  5. Once detected in each frame, positions are linked into paths over time.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  6. Calibration maps each camera's pixels onto real pitch coordinates.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  7. That context is what models of space and pressure are built on.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  8. Errors are cleaned before the data goes to clubs or broadcasters.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  9. The ball's sensor is what lets referees time the moment of a touch.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  10. Hawk-Eye itself was founded in England.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

Test 2TacticAI and corner kicksTake a test

  1. The research appeared in Nature Communications in March 2024.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  2. It could also suggest how to move players to change the likely outcome.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  3. The experts compared its suggestions with what had actually happened, without knowing which was which.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  4. Set pieces have fixed starting points, so the model can compare like with like.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  5. Graph networks suit problems where the relations between players matter.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  6. It proposed combining statistics, computer vision and game theory.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  7. Like any model trained on history, it is weakest against something new.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  8. The expert check was how the researchers tested the model.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  9. The model reads the set-up and predicts what follows it.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  10. Predicting the first receiver was one of the model's main tasks.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

Test 3Machine learning behind xGTake a test

  1. Each shot's features are linked to its outcome, goal or no goal.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  2. It turns shot features into a probability between 0 and 1; gradient boosting is another common choice.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  3. A model that fits last season perfectly may still forecast next season poorly.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  4. Holding back a test set is the standard guard against overfitting.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  5. Calibration checks that the probabilities match what actually happens.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  6. Rare outcomes need a lot of data before patterns become reliable.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  7. Body part, type of assist and defensive pressure are other common features.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  8. Testing on unseen data comes last, before the model is trusted.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  9. Headers are harder to score; a penalty is usually valued around 0.76-0.79.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  10. With roughly one shot in ten going in, the model learns mostly from misses.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

Test 4The connected ball at Euro 2024Take a test

  1. The sensor picked up the ball touching Loïs Openda's hand in the build-up.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  2. The touch on his hand showed up in the ball's data during the VAR review.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  3. The touch data supports offside and handball decisions.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  4. A few hundredths of a second can move an attacker from onside to offside.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  5. The referee still judges whether the handball is an offence under the Laws.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  6. Al Rihla was the 2022 World Cup ball, Uniforia the Euro 2020 ball and Brazuca the 2014 World Cup ball.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  7. Cricket's system detects edges from the sound; the ball detects touches from its sensor.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  8. The decision stays with the referee.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  9. 2014 World Cup, 2022 World Cup and Euro 2024.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  10. Both of the cases above were at the tournament in Germany.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

Test 5From stadium cameras to TV picturesTake a test

  1. Scouts can compare players in many leagues on the same measures.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  2. Models guess the missing positions from where players were before and after.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  3. It matches the frame rate of the video the positions come from.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  4. Limb positions matter for offside and for how a player shapes to pass.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  5. A player can look faster in one league simply because of the system used.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  6. It turns positions and speeds into a map of space each team controls.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

  7. Good positioning can stop an attack without any recorded action.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  8. Each step adds more information about each moment.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  9. The data narrows the list; scouts still watch the players.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · applied

  10. Advances in computer vision made broadcast tracking practical.

    Source: Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature · recall

Test 6AI in scouting and recruitmentTake a test

  1. Differences in style and quality make numbers from other leagues harder to read.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  2. A creative midfielder in a side that rarely attacks will produce few chances on paper.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  3. A model tested with future information looks better than it really is.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  4. Staff are more likely to trust, and to question, a model whose reasons they can see.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  5. Data narrows the list; people judge what the numbers cannot capture.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  6. The profile might ask for a left-footed centre-back under 24 who carries the ball.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  7. A few good matches can make a player look far better than he is.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  8. The final decision stays with the club's recruitment staff.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  9. Event data is collected for far more leagues than any kind of tracking.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  10. It was set up in Paris in 2016.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

Test 7Integrity, betting and dataTake a test

  1. Unusual patterns trigger an alert for investigators to check.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  2. It monitors betting markets on matches across European football.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  3. Investigators look for other evidence before any charge.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  4. Betting on single events makes this kind of fixing possible.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  5. Monitoring focuses on these markets for that reason.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  6. He returned to play in January 2024.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  7. Fagioli was also banned in the same investigation, for a shorter spell.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  8. Most alerts end at the review stage.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  9. 2017, 2023 and 2024.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  10. Its headquarters are in St. Gallen.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

Test 8Players and their dataTake a test

  1. The players argued that firms profited from their performance data without consent.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  2. Clubs and data firms must protect it more strictly than ordinary statistics.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  3. Leagues sell data rights to media, clubs and betting firms.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  4. Unions also want clear rules on who can see health data.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  5. Speed and official status matter most for in-play betting.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  6. A single official feed also helps integrity monitoring.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  7. Transparency is one of the basic principles of European data law.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  8. Each step is covered by contracts over who may use the data.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  9. Public match statistics are the least sensitive; health data the most.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  10. The GDPR gave people, players included, more control over data held about them.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

Test 9AI in media and broadcastingTake a test

  1. Crowd noise and commentary volume help mark goals and chances.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  2. Top speeds and distances covered are now common on screen.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  3. An editor is still needed to check facts and context.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  4. Models update the chances after goals, cards and the passing of time.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  5. Clubs increasingly check and report fake content quickly.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  6. Clubs with worldwide fan bases use it for news and social media.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  7. Tracking and event data feed the statistics these apps show.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

  8. The whole chain can run within minutes of the final whistle.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  9. The last two arrived with video review and modern data models.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  10. The metrics included line breaks and receptions between the lines.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

Test 10Contested claims about AI in footballTake a test

  1. Most clubs use data alongside scouts rather than instead of them.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  2. A model tuned to yesterday's football can drift as tactics change.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  3. Published studies have not shown reliable predictions for individual players.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  4. The gap in resources may widen rather than narrow.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  5. Success stories are easier to see than the clubs that used data and failed.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  6. An advantage from data lasts only while rivals do not have it.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  7. A sophisticated model that cannot beat a simple rule is not worth trusting.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  8. Claims that survive all four steps deserve more trust.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  9. Even semi-automated offside leaves the final decision to the officials.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · applied

  10. Automation bias is trusting a machine's output even when it is wrong.

    Source: Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature · recall

Sources

IFAB, FIFA and UEFA regulations and reports / club and federation statements / published coaching literature / peer-reviewed studies / contemporary reporting

  • Published research (Nature Communications 2024, DeepMind and Liverpool); provider and competition announcements; analytics literature50
  • Provider, league and governing-body announcements; disciplinary decisions; analytics and data-protection literature50