2025 ISAKOS Biennial Congress ePoster
Professional Football Players Are Going To The Men's And Women's World Cups After An Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction.
Gabriel de Melo Salgado, MD, São Paulo, SP BRAZIL
Davi Casadio, MD, São Paulo, São Paulo BRAZIL
Moises Cohen, MD, PhD, Prof., São Paulo, SP BRAZIL
Diego Costa Astur, MD, PhD, São Paulo, SP BRAZIL
Universidade Federal de São Paulo, São Paulo, SP, BRAZIL
FDA Status Not Applicable
Summary
ACL reconstruction in athletes from the men's 2022 and women's 2023 FIFA® World Cups showed that 12.5% of women and 7.7% of men had surgery, with no significant differences by position or revision rates, and ACL incidence rising from group stage to finals in women while remaining stable in men.
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Abstract
Purpose
To evaluate the incidence of Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) reconstructions in athletes who participated in the men's 2022 and women's 2023 FIFA®️ World Cups, comparing the incidence between genders, positions, and the stages reached by the teams during the competition.
Methods
Data were collected from official club and FIFA®️ websites: a list of athletes who played during the 2022, 2022, and women's 2023 FIFA®️ World Cup, a list of athletes who already underwent ACL reconstruction and rehabilitation before the competition, and stages from each team during the competition.
Results
The total number of athletes was 738 women and 830 men. 12.5% of them in the women's competition (92 athletes) and 7.7% in the men's competition (64 athletes) underwent ACL reconstruction surgery before. When comparing positions (goalkeeper, defense, midfield, and forwards), there were no statistical differences between men (p = 0.97) and women (p = 0.26). According to the competition Stage, the prevalence increased from 12.5% in the group stage to 17.4% in the finals (p=0.05) for women and ranged from 6.8% to 7.9% (p = 0.87) among men. The number of ACL revision surgeries was 18 women players (2.4% of total, 19.4% of those operated) and five men players (0.6% of total, 7.5% of those operated). There is no statistical difference in revision rates between men and women (p = 0.16).
Conclusion
In the highest football level competition in the world (FIFA®️ World Cup), there was no statistical difference between the number of men and women called up and who participated after ACL reconstruction, rehabilitation, and return to sport (12.5 x 7.7%; p > 0.05). Furthermore, the incidence of ACL-operated players belonging to each team that played in the World Cup increased from the stage of groups to the final in the female category (p = 0.05). Still, it remained stable in the male category (p = 0.87).