Kick-offs at the World Cup: Why are they simply played out of bounds?

Clever tactics when kicking off

Deliberately out of bounds: This mistake is calculated

At the start of the World Cup, France played the kick-off towards the corner flag into the touchline. The technology is far from new – there is a consistent plan behind it.

At the 2026 World Cup, France used a special kick-off technique in the game against Senegal: At the kick-off, the French specifically shot the ball towards the opponent’s corner flag instead of building up an attack. What initially seems like a mistake is actually a deliberate tactic.

The idea behind it: The team voluntarily gives up possession of the ball, but immediately gains space. Instead of starting to build up the game deep in their own half, the players can position themselves directly in the opponent’s half and put the opponent under pressure after the throw-in.

The variant became known through Paris Saint-Germain under coach Luis Enrique. But it has now spread far beyond individual teams. The tactic was also regularly seen in the top European leagues and the Bundesliga in the 2025/26 season.

Trainers pursue different goals. Some want to immediately trigger an aggressive pressing and force the ball to be won in a dangerous area. Others want to avoid the opponent pressing high straight after the kick-off and causing errors in their own build-up play.

The unusual kick-offs are an example of how detailed modern football has become. In the Champions League semi-final, Paris Saint-Germain took this attention to detail to the next level against FC Bayern Munich.

Goalkeeper Safonov hit his goal kicks into the touchline at the halfway line. At the following throw-in, several PSG players stood ready to put the Bayern players under pressure. Bayern’s star player Michael Olise had little room to develop and was therefore taken out of the game for long stretches. The tactic worked.