The rise is visible in club football. Non-penalty set-piece goals in the Premier League reportedly reached 269 this season, a significant increase on previous campaigns, while Arsenal set a league record for goals from corners.
Liverpool have continued to threaten with deliveries aimed towards Virgil van Dijk, and Bruno Fernandes has built much of his creative influence around corners and free-kicks. International football has often amplified that trend: at the 2018 World Cup, set pieces accounted for a notably high share of goals before falling back in Qatar.
Gilberto Silva has argued that national teams will not suddenly build their entire game around dead balls. Yet with only limited training sessions, a rehearsed corner may be easier to implement than a sophisticated pressing structure.
Throw-ins are part of the same tactical shift. Long throws have reportedly become more frequent in the Premier League, with Brentford, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace among the teams finding value in structured restarts.
Thomas Gronnemark, who has worked with Arsenal, views them as designed attacks rather than hopeful launches. Spacing, blocks and quick decisions can turn a throw-in into a dangerous set piece, especially if proposed five-second enforcement encourages faster restarts.
IFAB has also backed a change allowing officials to disallow goals when an attacking foul occurs before a corner or free-kick becomes live. Pierluigi Collina believes the adjustment could close a gap in VAR intervention, while Thomas Tuchel has warned that more subjective decisions may arrive just before the tournament.
“Even the smallest opportunities” may carry greater weight in North America, Verbeek says. Fatigue and heat can make concentration harder, while organised defences may leave few open-play chances.
The teams that prepare clear, adaptable routines - and execute them quickly - could gain the decisive edge when the World Cup begins.