Age behaviour and variables of success in FIFA World Cup from 1998 to 2018

This study aimed to analyse the influence of age on variables such as the number of participations, club confederation, national team confederation, playing position, team performance, year celebration, and total minutes played during FIFA World Cup (FWC) from 1998 to 2018. The sample was composed of all players who participated in the FWC from 1998 to 2018 and played at least one minute (n = 3529). Data were examined using descriptive analysis, a one-way ANOVA, and linear regression. The main finding of the current study was that the average age of participants in the FWC was 26 years, with goalkeepers and central defenders being the playing positions with the highest average age while wingers have the lowest average age. The youngest players belong to CAF clubs and national teams, while the oldest players belong to CONCACAF. Finally, the players who completed a higher percentage of minutes have a higher average age (26.5 years), while the winners (25.4 years) have a lower average age than the finalists (26.9 years). These results provide useful information regarding at what age players reach their peak performance and could provide valuable information to national federations and national team coaching staff.