22 June 2026 · edwin-chan

Every player rated, every substitute mapped: deep match visualization is live

Every fixture page now has a deep interactive visualization: starting XIs, scoring threat, player ratings, defensive shape, synergy lines, and squad-depth analysis. Click any player, swap them for their real bench alternative, and watch the model recalculate. France's most irreplaceable player is not Mbappe. Argentina get better when Otamendi sits. The numbers are all here.

Every fixture page now has a deep interactive visualization sitting right below the forecast. Seven analytical layers. Every starter rated. Every substitute mapped to a real bench alternative. Click, swap, and the model recalculates.

This is not a lineup graphic. It is a window into how the model sees a match.

Example: France vs Iraq

France are 70.5% favourites with 2.26 expected goals. Open the fixture page and switch between views:

Threat mode sizes each player dot by their probability of scoring. Thuram is the biggest dot (10.0%), not Mbappe. The model's top-scorer list has Barcola (5.0%) and Olise (3.8%) above him for this specific matchup.

Rating mode paints a heat map of player quality. Mbappe (98.7) and Dembele (98.2) blaze green. Tchouameni (42.8) and Digne (50.1) are cooler. You can see exactly where France's quality concentrates, and where it thins out.

Now the interesting part. Click Kante. Swap him out. France's midfield drops off a cliff. His VORP (value over replacement) is +0.389, the highest on the squad. There is no bench midfielder close to his level, so the model falls back to the positional floor. By contrast, swap Mbappe for Mateta and the drop is smaller (+0.214). The headlines say Mbappe is irreplaceable. The model says it is Kante.

Click Upamecano. Swap him for Konate. The team actually improves. Konate's rating is 0.956 versus Upamecano's 0.661. Upamecano's VORP is -0.295, meaning France are giving up quality by starting him. The visualization makes this obvious in a way that a table of numbers does not.

Stories the data tells across the tournament

The squad-depth model runs across all 48 teams. Some of what it finds:

Argentina get better when Otamendi sits. His rating is 0.257. His replacement, Marcos Senesi, is at 0.961. That gap of 0.704 is the largest starter-to-bench upgrade in the entire tournament. Messi's VORP, meanwhile, is -0.070. Thiago Almada is rated nearly as highly. The model does not care about legacy.

Germany have two starters the bench clearly outperforms. Manuel Neuer (VORP -0.585, replacement Alexander Nubel at 0.803) and Antonio Rudiger (VORP -0.579, replacement Malick Thiaw at 0.914). Swap both and the visualization shifts noticeably.

Omar Marmoush is Egypt's everything. VORP of +0.706. Lose him and the model sees a different team.

Seven layers

ModeWhat you see
XIStarting formations with positions and jersey numbers
ThreatDot size scaled to scoring probability. Where does the danger come from?
RatingPlayer quality as a colour gradient. Where does the squad thin out?
SynergyLines connecting players whose partnership amplifies both
VideoPost-match video analysis scores (available after kickoff)
DefenceDefensive positioning and coverage shape
ProgressiveBall progression and passing lanes

Every mode responds to swaps. Replace an attacker and watch the threat map flatten. Bring in a higher-rated defender and watch the colour gradient shift.

How to use it

  1. Open any fixture page.
  2. The pitch visualization sits below the probability tile.
  3. Click a player dot. A panel shows their bench replacement and other positional options.
  4. Select a replacement. The model recalculates.
  5. Changed your mind? Click the swapped player and hit Restore to bring back the original.
  6. Use the tabs above the pitch to switch between the seven analytical views.
  7. Reset all clears every swap and returns to the predicted starting XI.

Standard Pass holders can explore any match. Everyone can try it on the free match of the day.

The model does not care about reputation. It rates every player, maps every substitute, and shows you exactly what changes when a name on the teamsheet changes. The rest is up to you.

See the live forecast

This note draws on the same calibrated model that powers the full 2026 World Cup forecast — win probabilities for every fixture, projected line-ups, and the tournament-winner picture, refreshed on every run.

Explore the forecast →

See how the forecast holds up

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632 كلمة · نُشر في 22 June 2026

#- feature