Number of matches, response rate, severity and incidence of injury in FIFA World Cups
| Tournament | France 1998 | Korea/Japan 2002 | Germany 2006 | South Africa 2010 | Brazil 2014 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matches (n) | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 | 64 |
| Response rate | 124/128 (97%) | 128/128 (100%) | 128/128 (100%) | 124/128 (97%) | 124/128 (97%) |
| Match hours documented | 2046 | 2112 | 2112 | 2046 | 2046 |
| Injuries (n) | 149 | 171 | 145 | 125 | 104 |
| Injuries per 1000 player hours (95% CI) | 72.8 (61.1 to 84.5) | 81.0 (68.9 to 93.1) | 68.7 (57.5 to 79.9) | 61.1 (50.4 to 71.8) | 50.8 (41.0 to 60.6) |
| Injuries per match (95% CI) | 2.40 (2.01 to 2.79) | 2.67 (2.27 to 3.07) | 2.27 (1.90 to 2.64) | 2.02 (1.67 to 2.37) | 1.68 (1.36 to 2.00) |
| Estimated duration of absence from sport (days) | |||||
| 0 | 53 (33%) | 39 (30%) | 39 (35%) | 41 (43%) | |
| 1–3 | 59 (37%) | 43 (33%) | 59 (49%) | 15 (16%) | |
| 4–7 | 27 (17%) | 19 (15%) | 9 (7%) | 15 (16%) | |
| 8–28 | 18 (11%) | 23 (18) | 3 (3%) | 16 (17%) | |
| 29 and more | 3 (2%) | 7 (5%) | 2 (2%) | 8 (8%) | |
| Not specified | 0 | 5 | 9 | 6 | |
| Missing | 11 | 9 | 4 | 3 | |
| Injuries with subsequent absence | 107 | 97 | 82 | 60 | |
| Injuries per 1000 h (95% CI) | 50.7 (41.1 to 60.3) | 45.9 (36.8 to 55.0) | 40.1 (31.4 to 48.8) | 29.3 (21.9 to 36.7) | |
| Injuries per match (95% CI) | 1.67 (1.35 to 1.99) | 1.51 (1.20 to 1.80) | 1.29 (1.01 to 1.57) | 0.97 (0.72 to 1.22) | |