PURPOSE: To evaluate the incidence of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstructions in athletes who participated in the men's 2022 and women's 2023 Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA®) World Cups, comparing the incidence between genders, positions and the stages reached by the teams during the competition. METHODS: This is a media analysis study, and data were collected from official club and FIFA® websites: a list of athletes who played during the men's 2022 and women's 2023 FIFA® World Cup, a list of athletes who already did an ACL reconstruction (ACLR) and rehabilitation before the competition, and stages from each team during the competition. RESULTS: 12.5% of the athletes in the women's competition (92 athletes) and 7.7% in the men's competition (64 athletes) underwent ACLR surgery before. When comparing positions (goalkeeper, defence, midfield and forwards), there were no statistical differences between men ( 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 ACLR, rehabilitation and return to sport (12.5% vs. 7.7%
LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Not applicable.