The FIFA World Cup is over, but fans are still feverish. Yeah, football fans will talk, discuss and then discuss some more... it’s just not going to stop. And that’s exactly what I came across on DataPortraits. I have to say, it made me look at football in a completely new way.

The website, Data Portraits, was created by visual artist Alexander Bogachev, who has turned every match of the FIFA World Cup 2026 into a moving artwork built from real match data, including every pass, every shot, every goal and every card.

As you open the site, you’ll see a collection of small moving pictures (data portraits), each representing a different match. The pitch is covered by two coloured blankets, one for each team. Click on any portrait and it opens in a larger view. On the left, you’ll see the teams’ names with the score beneath them, while on the right, you’ll see the minute of the match you’re currently watching.

There’s also a ‘How to read it’ guide that explains what the colours and shapes represent. So even if you only know a little about football, you can still follow who’s doing what and how the action unfolds on the pitch.

The animation clearly shows when a team gets a great chance to score. Little peaks rise from the coloured blanket at the exact spot where that chance happened. The bigger the peak, the more dangerous the opportunity.

Then, when a team scores, the entire pitch suddenly floods with that team’s colour. Without a single statistic or line of commentary, you instantly understand what’s happening in the match.

One thing worth keeping in mind is that every peak, every wave of colour and every movement you see is a visual representation of something that actually happened during the game. It’s the same match, just told in a completely different — and much more artistic — language.

What are you waiting for?

Visit: https://wc26.bogachev.fr/index.html

Published in Dawn, Young World, August 8th, 2026