SCIENTIFIC PROGRAMME 2026
DAY 1 - SATURDAY, 18th APRIL 2026
The main programme will be held in three large spaces: Aristotle, Socrates and Hippocrates. It will be divided in Traditional Sessions, Open Debates and Next Generation Leaders according to the following colour codes.
Traditional Sessions
Open Debates
Next Generation Leaders
ARISTOTLE
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Aristotle
RETURN TO PERFORMANCE IN FOOTBALL
Chairs: Della Villa S (ITA), Espregueira-Mendes J (POR)
| 09:30 | Is return to performance the new frontier of football medicine? | Mandelbaum B (USA) |
| 09:45 | Return to performance after ACL injury: a current sports medicine dilemma | Della Villa F (ITA) |
| 10:00 | From ankle injury back to the field: what I've learned in the last 20 years | D'Hooghe P (UK) |
| 10:15 | Return to performance: is female football that different? | Arundale A (USA) |
| 10:30 | Shift in the paradigm: from return to play to return to full performance | Knowles B (USA) |
| 10:45 | Discussion |
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Aristotle
NEUROCOGNITIVE PERFORMANCE IN FOOTBALL MEDICINE
Chairs: Chaput M (USA), Saris D (USA)
| 11:30 | Decoding the beautiful behavioural complexity of the football player | Jordet G (NOR) |
| 11:45 | Neuroplasticity and neurocognitive performance after ligament injury | Grooms D (USA) |
| 12:00 | Rethinking arthrogenic muscle inhibition in ACL injury and surgery | Sonnery Cottet B (FRA) |
| 12:15 | Integration of neurocognition across the return to performance pathway | Gokeler A (GER) |
| 12:30 | Beyond ACL prevention: is applying neuroscience the answer? | Myer G (USA) |
| 12:45 | Discussion |
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Aristotle
PERFECTING OUR APPROACH TO KNEE INJURIES IN FOOTBALL
Chairs: Gobbi A (ITA), Kon E (ITA)
| 14:30 | What really happens after ACL rupture and surgery in professional footballers? | Ball S (UK) |
| 14:45 | Medial ramp lesion: meniscal lesion or postero medial instability? | Cavaignac E (FRA) |
| 15:00 | ACL - Lateral external procedures in football: when and why? | Espregueira Mendes J (POR) |
| 15:15 | Overcoming the complex dynamic stability of the patello-femoral joint | Sherman S (USA) |
| 15:30 | Optimizing return to performance after knee injuries: the Isokinetic approach | Tencone F (ITA) |
| 15:45 | Discussion |
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Aristotle
PRESENT AND FUTURE OF ANKLE INJURY MANAGEMENT
Chairs: d'Hooghe P (UK), Vannini F (ITA)
| 16:30 | The rising issue of the ankle instability: the anatomical secrets | Dalmau-Pastor M (ESP) |
| 16:45 | RTP after ankle injuries in football: the full monty | Kerkhoffs G (NED) |
| 17:00 | Integrating the ankle strength profiling to support full RTP | Griffin C (IRL) |
| 17:15 | Return to performance strategies after ankle injuries: from biomechanics to GPS | Boldrini L (ITA) |
| 17:30 | Ankle injuries in football: what do we need to close the gap? | Verhagen E (SUI) |
| 17:45 | Discussion |
SOCRATES
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Socrates
FIFA - BRAIN HEALTH FOR THE FOOTBALL PLAYER
Chairs: Peek K (AUS), Serner A (SUI)
| 09:30 | Heading in football: what do we actually know? | Serner A (SUI) |
| 09:45 | Preparing for a head injury on match day | Massey A (SUI) |
| 10:00 | On-pitch assessment of concussions: should I call the substitution? | Peek K (AUS) |
| 10:15 | Return to performance after concussion: the physio perspective | Schneider K (CAN) |
| 10:30 | Return to performance criteria after a concussion: checking with the Doc | Putukian M (USA) |
| 10:45 | Discussion |
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Socrates
FIFA - INTEGRATING PERFORMANCE AND MEDICAL ASPECTS
Chairs: Mkumbuzi N (UK), Serner A (SUI)
| 11:30 | Is your player’s heart ready to perform? | Börjesson M (SWE) |
| 11:45 | Linking injury prevention and performance in teams | Brito J (POR) |
| 12:00 | Return to performance postpartum: the FIFA Decision Aid for players and team staff | Davenport M (CAN) |
| 12:15 | Optimizing health and performance in low resource settings | Mkumbuzi N (UK) |
| 12:30 | What's happening with our player? Health and performance data exchange between clubs and national teams | McCall A (UK) |
| 12:45 | Discussion |
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Socrates
ISAKOS SESSION - MENISCUS LESIONS IN FOOTBALL PLAYERS: WHERE ARE WE TODAY?
Chairs: Espregueira Mendes J (POR), Mandelbaum B (USA)
| 13:30 | Meniscectomy of the knee: how much is too much? | Espregueira Mendes J (POR) |
| 13:42 | Meniscus lesions in the professional player. When to repair and when to resect? | Sherman S (USA) |
| 13:54 | Meniscal injury in the setting of ACL reconstruction in the professional player: what is the best approach? | Cohen C (BRA) |
| 14:06 | Return to professional sports after meniscal injury: where are we today? | Musahl V (USA) |
| 14:18 | Discussion |
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Socrates
MUSCLE INJURIES: WHEN TO GO SURGICAL
14:30 - 15:15
| CHAIR | English B (UK) |
| PRESENTER | Are there clear indications for surgery? From hamstring to rectus femoris - Lempainen L (FIN) |
| DEBATERS | Haddad F (UK), Huurman S (NED), Perticarini L (ITA) |
HAMSTRING INJURIES: ARTIFICIAL VS HUMAN INTELLIGENCE
15:15 - 16:00
| CHAIR | English B (UK) |
| PRESENTER | Hamstring injuries: artificial vs human intelligence - Rodas G (ESP) |
| DEBATERS | Bittencourt N (BRA), Glasgow P (IRL), Van Dyk N (IRL) |
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Socrates
GOLD STANDARD FOR ACL INJURIES
16:30 - 17:15
| CHAIR | Saris D (USA) |
| PRESENTER | Gold standard approach to the ACL injured football player - Getgood A (QAT) |
| DEBATERS | Samuelsson K (SWE), Snyder-Mackler L (USA), Zorzi C (ITA) |
THE COMPLEX NEW ERA OF MENISCUS REPAIR
17:15 - 18:00
| CHAIR | Saris D (USA) |
| PRESENTER | Managing complex meniscus tears in the football player - Piskopakis A (GRE) |
| DEBATERS | Bonanzinga T (ITA), Stride M (UK), Verdonk P (BEL) |
HIPPOCRATES
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Hippocrates
THE ORIGINS OF SPORTS MEDICINE
Chairs: Muschaweck U (GER), Tsapralis K (GRE)
| 09:30 | The Greek history of Sports Medicine: from Filippide to nowadays | Ditsios K (GRE) |
| 09:45 | The explosion of Sports Medicine in USA | Davies G (USA) |
| 10:00 | The origins of Football Medicine | Ekstrand J (SWE) |
| 10:15 | The evolution of sports physical therapy | Snyder-Mackler L (USA) |
| 10:30 | ACL surgery: from the beginning to the future | |
| 10:45 | Discussion |
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Hippocrates
ACL: FROM INJURY TO PEAK PERFORMANCE
Chairs: Berruto M (ITA), De Caro F (ITA)
| 11:30 | The USA experience: how to approach ACL injuries in professional football players | Musahl V (USA) |
| 11:45 | The European experience: the complex link between ACL and muscle injuries | Walden M (SWE) |
| The 5 best Free Communication Abstracts on ACL will be included in this session | ||
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Hippocrates
FIFA MEDICAL SYMPOSIUM - PLAYER HEALTH SURVEILLANCE
Chairs: Clarsen B (SUI), Serner A (SUI)
| 13:30 | Update on FIFA's Global Player's Health Surveillance initiatives | Clarsen B (SUI) |
| 13:45 | Living systematic review of all player health surveillance studies in football | Babiker AR (IRL) |
| 14:00 | Global collaboration on match load and injury risk | Amundsen R (NOR) |
| 14:15 | Discussion |
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Hippocrates
WHAT'S NEW IN PREVENTION & BIOMECHANICS
Chairs: Pereira R (POR), Surdyka N (USA)
| 14:30 | Preventing knee injuries in football: a biomechanical approach | Powers C (USA) |
| The 5 best Free Communication Abstracts on Prevention & Biomechanics will be selected and included in this session | ||
DAY 1 - SATURDAY Hippocrates
RTP AFTER HAMSTRING INJURIES
Chairs: Ferrer Vidal E (ESP), Klein C (GER)
| 16:30 | The missing link of hamstring injury rehab on the road to return to performance | Mendiguchia J (ESP) |
| 16:45 | Return to performance after hamstring injury: the US sports experience | Silvers H (USA) |
| The 5 best Free Communication Abstracts on Hamstring Injuries will be selected and included in this session | ||