When Speed Matters Most – Reflections from the 2026 FIFA World Cup

When you ask football (soccer) coaches to describe their ideal player, they will nearly always mention the capacity and ability to be fast.

Not just quick over the first few metres, but capable of accelerating, changing direction explosively, recovering quickly and repeatedly producing high-speed efforts throughout a ninety-minute match.

Speed changes games.

It creates space where there is none. It turns a fifty-fifty ball into a clear opportunity. It allows defenders to recover, midfielders to press, and attackers to beat opponents before a tackle can even be attempted.

Yet despite speed being one of the most sought-after qualities in football, it remains one of the least effectively developed.

Watching the 2026 FIFA World Cup only reinforced that belief.

Scotland's Return to the World Cup

Scotland's qualification for its first World Cup since France 1998 was a tremendous achievement. The victory over Denmark was one of the highlights of the qualifying campaign, played with confidence, creativity and belief.

However, once the tournament began, Scotland seemed to lose some of that attacking freedom.

Goals became difficult to find.

Needing to defeat Haiti by two or three goals to progress as one of the best third-placed teams, Scotland managed only a solitary goal, and their World Cup ended in the group stage.

Following the tournament, Steve Clarke stepped down after seven successful years as national coach. His contribution to Scottish football deserves enormous respect.

But no matter how good a national coach may be, they can only work with the players produced by the development system.

That, to me, is where the real conversation begins.

Looking Beyond the Results

After the tournament I listened to respected Scottish manager David Moyes discussing Scotland's performances.

One observation stood out.

He felt Scotland lacked pace and the ability to play with freedom and creativity under pressure.

As someone who has spent decades coaching speed and movement, I found that comment particularly interesting.

Because speed is not simply a gift.

It is a skill.

And like every other skill in football, it can be developed.

If Population Isn't the Problem, What Is?

Scotland has a population of approximately 5.5 million people.

But so does Norway.

Croatia has around four million.

Cape Verde has fewer than 600,000.

Yet these nations consistently produce technically gifted, athletic footballers capable of competing with the world's best.

Croatia has reached a World Cup Final and a semi-final.

Cape Verde continues to surprise much larger nations with its athleticism and quality.

Population alone cannot explain the difference.

The answer almost certainly lies in how players are developed.

Are We Developing Better Players?

Too often youth football focuses on producing winning teams rather than developing exceptional footballers.

Children should first become outstanding movers.

Movement is the foundation upon which every technical football skill is built.

Acceleration.

Balance.

Coordination.

Agility.

Deceleration.

Running mechanics.

Decision-making.

These are all trainable qualities.

When movement improves, technical performance usually follows.

The Missing Ingredient

Watching France, Spain and Cape Verde during this World Cup, one thing became immediately obvious.

Their players looked explosive.

Sharp.

Dynamic.

Every sprint seemed purposeful.

As a sprint coach who has worked with professional athletes across several sports, I often ask football coaches one question.

"How much of your training programme is actually devoted to making players faster?"

The answers are often surprisingly small.

Many clubs still spend a significant proportion of training developing endurance because football lasts ninety minutes.

The problem is that excessive endurance work can compromise speed and power development.

Players become fitter.

But not necessarily faster.

Ironically, players who develop genuine sprint capacity often cope better with the demands of a ninety-minute match because every movement requires a lower percentage of their maximum effort.

Sprinting Doesn't Cause Injuries

One misconception I hear regularly is that sprint training increases injury risk.

In my experience, properly coached sprinting usually has the opposite effect.

It teaches athletes how to move efficiently.

It improves posture.

Strengthens tissues.

Enhances coordination.

Reduces unnecessary loading.

At The Sprint Stable in Lake Macquarie, several footballers train alongside our sprinters.

One player, Sam, joined us with running mechanics that significantly increased her injury risk.

Over four seasons we completely rebuilt her movement patterns.

Her father recently told me that the improvement in her sprinting has transformed her football.

More importantly, she now moves with confidence and far greater efficiency.

Speed Is a Skill

Early in my coaching career I was fortunate to learn under Charlie Affleck, coach of Olympic 100-metre champion Allan Wells.

Charlie taught me something that has stayed with me throughout my career.

Speed is a skill.

It is not something players simply acquire by playing football.

Like passing, shooting or first touch, it requires quality coaching.

My Coaching Philosophy

Throughout my coaching career I have followed a principle from renowned Dutch coach Henk Kraaijenhof:

"Do as little as needed, not as much as possible."

Players improve through quality, not exhaustion.

Rather than chasing fatigue, my focus is on developing athletes who are:

• Faster
• More powerful
• Better movers
• More resilient
• Less prone to injury
• Better equipped to perform at high intensity throughout the game

A Different Perspective for Football Clubs

Modern football has embraced sports science, performance analysis and strength and conditioning.

These disciplines are invaluable.

Yet specialist sprint coaching remains one of the most under-utilised resources in football.

Having coached athletes and delivered coaching education across Australia, Europe and Africa, I believe specialist speed coaching can complement—not replace—technical and tactical coaching.

When players move better, they perform better.

When they sprint better, they often stay healthier.

And when they become genuinely faster, the game itself changes.

If your club is looking to develop quicker, more efficient and more resilient players, I'd welcome the opportunity to discuss how specialist sprint coaching could become part of your performance programme.

Because in modern football, speed isn't simply an advantage—it has become one of the game's most valuable skills.