Read 4 minutesMumbai19 Jun 2026 08:33 PM IST
If you spend too much time in line for nachos or hamburgers and get to your seat late, you might miss the impact of rugby on football. In this World Cup, teams have adopted an unusual kick-off move that is both unique and counter-intuitive.
This time, it’s not always the good-old gentle pass to a teammate after the referee’s whistle. Leading teams such as France and Morocco, among others, are starting to play with a long curling ball that crosses the side-line. The idea is to kick the ball close to the corner flag so that the opponents get a throw-in in the final third of the field. So what to gain by losing control? For starters it gives you space and momentum to move forward.
As with rugby lineouts, a ball sent across the sidelines can save a lot of dribbling effort. Since this is at the start of the game, it gives the team a dead-ball start, right in the opposition’s half. A full field press for a throw-in can put pressure on a team that may be rusty or still settling.
Rugby lineouts give both jumpers a 50-50 chance of catching the ball. The same is true of throw-ins in football. The visiting attacking team is more likely to get possession of the ball. This gives them an early window to get a shot on target.
This kick-off strategy was realized earlier this year thanks to Paris Saint-Germain. The side that have won the Champions League since beating Inter Milan in last year’s final. It was a standout feature of their encore against Arsenal, a month before the start of the World Cup. And now in the first World Cup week, many teams are jockeying for position, kicking the ball out of touch like a rugby drop-kick.
What happened in PSG games after the ball was launched and territory was gained, was a rush of quick attackers to capitalize on the generally disorganized results of throw-ins.
According to Football TacticDive, throw-ins come with a pitfall: they’re limited, because the ball doesn’t travel fast enough over long distances like a pass or cross is thrown by hand. Teams are not organized into a tight formation for the block and are scattered and slow to react, preventing them from launching coordinated movements. And that’s when PSG inject the throw-in zone with players for aggressive high pressure. Turnovers are much more likely in a scramble, as are line-outs.
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In PSG’s game against Arsenal, as many as seven players were deployed to litter the defense in the Gunners’ half. After the kick bounced out, they immediately cannoned forward and won the ball back from the ensuing unorganized throw-in to attack.
While drop-kicks fly high in rugby, an American football kick-off can be suspended in the air for up to 4 seconds, helping the team to advance men to throw-ins. That is why PSG’s kicks were sharpening parabolas.
At the World Cup, the first part of the kick-off trap is underway. The intent to release possession is clear. Don’t be surprised if a player who takes a throw-in, like Arsenal, is momentarily obscured.