So, this is basically back-of-a-napkin math's, but i was wondering how far all te players ran, and decided to give it a go.
– There were 104 matches in the WC.
– I saw a Reddit post saying that during group stages players averaged 10-11 km per game (I imagine post groups matches have more running so I'll use the higher range)
– 11 players per team (I don't know if the above estimate includes goalkeepers, but I'm going to assume the avg distance includes them)
So, 104 * 11 * 11 = 12,504 km
Google Maps tells me Madrid to Bangkok is 12,833 km, so within a reasonable margin of error, I'd say.
I'm curious if anyone has a more accurate calculation?
EDIT: One of the commenters reminded me that during each match, there are in fact TWO teams on the pitch… so it should be 104 matches * 11 km avg per player * 11 players per team * 2 teams.
So they could run from Madrid to Bangkok and BACK!!