Soccer passing is harder, shorter and sharper across pro leagues, new research finds

By Erin Kayata February 9, 2026

The amount and accuracy of passing in the game of soccer — called football across much of the world — has climbed in recent years, according to new research.

The average passing volume, pass accuracy and the percentage of passes made rose in gameplay over the last five years, with the biggest changes occurring in women’s competitions, according to a research preprint from NetSi Sport, a new research group out of Northeastern University’s Network Science Institute. Gameplay has become faster and more intense, suggesting there is greater defensive pressure.

Read more at Northeastern Global News

Photo by AP photo/Alastair Grant

Sign up for CONNECTS.

The College of Science newsletter delivered straight to your inbox.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.