‘Setting the Benchmark’ Part 3: Contextualising the Match Demands of Specialised Positions at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023

This study aimed to benchmark the match demands of specialised positions at the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023. With FIFA's official approval, all sixty-four games at the tournament were analysed using an optical tracking system alongside FIFA's Enhanced Football Intelligence metrics. During a typical match, defensive and central midfielders covered 5-15% more total distance than centre backs, wide defenders and centre forwards (P < 0.01; Effect Size ES: 0.6-1.8). The distances covered at higher intensities (≥19.0 and ≥23.0 km · h