Sinch puts World Cup managers’ clichés to the test with new AI-powered xC Tracker

Singapore — Sinch AB (publ) has launched the xC Tracker, a new AI-powered tool that analyses football managers’ press conferences throughout the World Cup to identify who communicates most clearly, authentically and effectively under pressure.

Inspired by football’s popular xG (expected goals) metric, the launch introduces xC, or expected clichés, a new score designed to measure how often managers rely on familiar football phrases instead of providing genuine insight and original perspectives.

The xC Tracker will analyse every pre-match and post-match press conference delivered by the tournament’s 48 national team managers, creating a live ranking that highlights the sport’s strongest communicators while tracking those who frequently fall back on well-worn football clichés.

At the heart of the launch is the idea that communication matters just as much off the pitch as performance does on it, and by applying artificial intelligence to one of football’s most visible media moments, Sinch aims to bring a fresh layer of analysis to the tournament while showcasing how communication can be measured and understood through data.

Throughout the competition, fans, journalists and commentators will be able to follow live rankings showing which managers provide the clearest insights, how communication styles change as tournament pressure increases, and which clichés are most commonly used across different languages and markets.

The tracker analyses press conferences conducted in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and Arabic by examining exact phrases, variations and paraphrased responses, meaning managers who repeatedly use phrases such as “taking it one game at a time” or “the boys gave everything” are likely to receive higher xC scores than those who offer detailed observations, tactical explanations or unique reflections.

The launch will also monitor how managers’ communication strategies evolve throughout the tournament, revealing whether success, defeat or increasing pressure influences the way they engage with the media.

In addition to ranking authenticity, the platform will identify the most frequently used football clichés across languages and crown the manager who demonstrates the strongest communication performance with football’s first-ever “Press Conference Ballon d’Or.”

“Sinch powers billions of customer interactions every year, helping businesses deliver the right message to the right person at the right moment. For this year’s tournament, we’re applying that same communication expertise to one of the world’s biggest sporting events,” explained Robert Gerstmann, Chief Evangelist and Co Founder at Sinch. 

“At Sinch, we help businesses communicate effectively under pressure every day. Through billions of interactions between companies and their customers, we know what it takes for a message to land at the right moment. We wanted to find out whether football managers do too,” added Gerstmann. 

Through the initiative, Sinch is applying its expertise in AI and communications to one of the world’s most watched sporting events, highlighting the role that effective communication plays when every word is scrutinised by global audiences.

The xC Tracker is available throughout the tournament, providing real-time insights into how football’s biggest personalities communicate both on and off the field.