Part 3: The prominence of direct attacks in transition - FIFA Training Centre

FIFA’s Technical Study Group (TSG) observations and Football Performance Insights Team’s data collection highlighted direct attacks as one of the topics characterising FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Morocco 2025™. When comparing the times teams spent in different in-possession phases of the game, 11 of 24 participants spent more of their time on the ball in direct attacks (attacking transitions, counter-attacks and long balls) than in the build-up phase.

Figure 1

11 of 24 teams spent more of their time on the ball conducting direct attacks than building up play.

Figure 2

In terms of progression speed, tournament participants leaned towards a faster and more direct progression of the ball.

Several teams progressing to the latter stages of the tournament featured in this group, including champions Korea DPR and semi-finalists Mexico. After tracking all games, FPI also determined that the average progression speed in the 2025 tournament was 3.1m per second (Figure 2). Over half of the teams at the tournament progressed the ball faster than this. Coupling the speed of progression with the fact that these teams also connected on average fewer than 4.1 distributions per sequence suggests a tendency towards fast and direct play.

Speed and directness were especially visible when teams regained possession in their own half. The number of these turnovers leading to quick, vertical attacks increased by an average of 1.75 per 60 minutes of ball-in-play time. The TSG noted that numerous teams sought to assert themselves from deep transitions, picking forward passes rather than lateral ones or driving forward with the ball.

The directness of much of the football in Morocco caught the attention of Clémentine Touré, one of the TSG experts at the 2025 tournament. “In general, direct play enabled several teams to be very effective in transition, particularly against high defensive lines. Its strengths lie in its verticality, speed and exploitation of space.” Despite its effectiveness, the former head coach of Côte d’Ivoire notes that there are several challenges for the teams that sought to play this way. Due to the speed of direct approaches in possession, “technical precision, collective coordination or decision-making accuracy can decline”.

Clip 1: Korea DPR excelled at creating goalscoring chances from direct attacks in transition. Here, the tournament winners regain possession inside their own penalty area, and what was initially a clearance gets turned into a direct attack with two forward passes.

Clip 2: Côte d’Ivoire were one of the teams at the tournament eager to launch attacks from turnovers inside their own half. Direct runs from forwards, coupled with team-level attacking intent, helped make this an effective tactic for the CAF side.

The clips above feature examples from Côte d’Ivoire and tournament winners Korea DPR – two teams who harnessed deep attacking transitions as a way of creating goalscoring opportunities. The way these teams are set up before the transition is integral, explains Touré. In addition, both sides exhibited technical, physical and mental factors that help determine the potency of these attacks.

“The clips above illustrate the importance of tactical organisation prior to recovery,” notes Touré. “The teams are compact, with players already oriented towards the front, which facilitates immediate projection. Technically, the quality of the first vertical pass and the ability to play deep under pressure are crucial. Physically, this style of play requires long, high-intensity runs, particularly from forwards who are able to attack the space behind the defensive line. Mentally, success depends on a strong attacking intent, quick decision-making and the confidence to play forward immediately after winning the ball back, without excessive caution.”

Figure 3

Tournament winners Korea DPR top the table for "quick" vertical attacks per 60 minutes of in-possession time.

In Morocco, vertical attacks stemming from turnovers in the opposition half remained in line with the 2024 competition. Being closer to the opposition’s goal, these turnovers include situations, like those discussed in the previous article, where the attacking team have won the ball back through a high press, and have a brief window of opportunity to exploit space before the team ceding possession reorganise themselves in front of goal. Below are two examples from the U-17 competition where the team turning over possession successfully exploits the disorganisation.

Clip 3: Korea DPR’s forward and midfield units press Japan in unison and with intent. Moments after they turn over possession, Korea DPR play the ball to the team-mate in the vacant space left over from Japan’s momentary disorganisation.

Clip 4: In this clip, Canada score after two turnovers of possession deep inside Samoa’s half. After each turnover, the North American team exhibit an urgency to exploit the imbalance and get a shot away.

“In both clips, what stands out most is the speed of execution immediately after high recovery,” adds Touré when assessing the attacks. “Teams that played this way sought to exploit the opponent’s defensive imbalance before they could reorganise. Their actions are characterised by few touches of the ball, highly synchronised calls and effective occupation of the channels and half-spaces.”

Touré also stresses that, in both examples, the teams emphasise bringing finality to the attack. “We also see a quick reading of situations favourable to forward play, with priority given to attacking the goal rather than retaining possession. These sequences highlight the importance of collective coordination and individual initiative in attacking areas.”

Figure 4

Korea DPR rank second for the number of quick vertical attacks per 60 minutes in-possession time.

Making long, high-intensity runs is a must for teams launching direct attacks from inside their own half. This is especially relevant for forwards who, as the spearhead of the attack, need to penetrate the space in behind.
When regaining possession deep inside the opposition’s half, teams found success by taking calculated risks and prioritising finality over securing possession.
Tournament winners Korea DPR were one of the most effective teams in this area, creating more attempts at goal from quick, vertical attacks than any other team.