ANY REAL SOCCER fan knows that what it takes to win goes far beyond the 90-minute match. How players prepare and recover is as essential as training and strategy. Extreme heat is expected to play a major role in players’ performance in the 2026 World Cup—about 1 in 4 matches is predicted to be played under sweltering temperatures that are above the recommended safety limits for gameplay. With the threat of heat illness and the other factors that come with playing a World Cup with more teams, more matches, and more traveling, the work being done behind the scenes is even more paramount to success on the field. We caught up with team doctors to find out how they’re prepping athletes to deal with this year’s stressors.
4 Essentials for Soccer Success this Year
1. Recovery, Recovery, Recovery
SINCE BETTER PLAY comes from better recovery, game prep starts 24 to 48 hours before a match. “You want athletes to go into the match fresh without a lot of fatigue on their muscles,” says Vijay Jotwani, MD, sports medicine physician at Houston Methodist and team physician with the US Soccer Federation. Days before a big match, players shift focus from performance gains to maintaining good mobility and practicing activation exercises, explains Justin Mullner, MD, sports medicine doctor at Orlando Health and team doctor for Major League Soccer.
Wearables are playing a bigger role in monitoring an athlete’s level of exertion and the amount of recovery needed afterward. “We are using specialized systems during practice and during matches to look at the level of exertion and really guide the optimal recovery for that athlete based on how much they have pushed themselves that practice or game,” explains Dr. Jotwani. It can differ for every team but may include data from wearables such as Whoop and Oura rings.
Nutrition is essential, too: Dr. Jotwani says players should ideally be eating meals with a good amount of protein to help with muscle recovery, a good amount of carbohydrates for energy, and a good amount of fiber to help with digestion. And, of course, they want to stay hydrated between games to be sure everything’s functioning optimally from the get-go. “Often immediately after practice or a match, you’ll see a protein shake handed out to a player making sure they hydrate with a mix of water and electrolyte recovery drinks,” Dr. Jotwani explains.
Other recovery strategies fade in and out of popularity and Dr. Jotwani says dubious ones right now include red light therapy and ultrasound therapy, since there’s not much high-quality medical evidence to back health claims. “I hear a lot about red light therapy these days. I would probably tell an athlete that it’s not necessarily going to be an important part of their recovery.”
2. Hydration
A DEHYDRATED SOCCER player may have an increased risk of developing cramps, and when those are in the calf or quadriceps, they can stop someone from playing. Dr. Jotwani says he’s seen players end up with full-body cramps and explains that dehydration can be one of the contributing factors. In rarer situations, people with severe dehydration may have blood flow problems that could lead to lightheadedness and confusion.
Kelly Estes, MD, medical director for all 27 of US Soccer’s National Teams, offers several different educational components to players, such as monitoring the color of urine output along with encouraging them to keep track of their health data and hydration status. “Some of our teams will even have a dedicated nutritionist to monitor this directly. The first step is just tracking and education surrounding hydration, so that it doesn’t turn into dehydration.”
To avoid heat stress, the 2026 World Cup mandated two hydration breaks for all matches. Previously, hydration breaks depended on the the temperature at the location where the game was being played. “You decide to have a hydration break at 82.3°F. It was always this check-in before the game, where you would decide to do a hydration break,” says Dr. Mullner. In terms of FIFA’s policy change, he agrees with the decision since it prioritizes player safety.
In terms of what athletes are likely drinking during these breaks, the best bet is a sports drink with electrolytes. “Water has its place, but we’re realizing more and more that electrolytes are also important in helping the body absorb water properly,” adds Dr. Mullner. Electrolyte supplements are another option. Dr. Estes says US Soccer provides different varieties for players who may need extra electrolytes or for players they identify as producing particularly salty sweat.
3. Staying Cool
DR. JOTWANI SAYS one of the best cooling methods is a cold tub, using either cold water or cold ice water. Getting in eight to 10 minutes after a match can help bring core temperature down for an athlete. This cooling method is often saved for after a game.
Dr. Jotwani explains that sitting in a cold tub can have a lot of value in alleviating inflammation that happens when you use muscles for long periods. In terms of contrast baths (going between a cold and hot tub), Dr. Mullner isn’t so convinced. “Some players really swear by them. Maybe it’s superstition, maybe it really does work well for them, but there’s a little less data for that sort of thing.”
To cool down during a game, athletes want to target areas with a lot of blood flow like the neck. “You’ll see these ice cold towels that we have soaking and ice water put around the necks of players. That’s a good way to kind of get some of that area of blood flow cooled down,” says Dr. Jotwani. With that said, there is growing evidence that cooling off the hands and face may be more effective than the back of the neck.
Dr. Jotwani notes that a cold towel can make a difference if someone has heat illness and there is no cold tub readily available. “What you would want to do is get ice packs or those cold towels around the neck, into the armpits and in the groin. Those are areas that have a lot of blood flow so cooling those areas helps cool off the whole body.”
4. Getting Sleep
WHEN YOU COMPARE this year’s World Cup to the one held in Qatar in 2022, the travel schedule is more demanding on the players because they may be traveling by plane to as many as three other countries. In Qatar, the stadiums were all within an hour of each other.
Dr. Mullner does note that this year’s tournament has done a good job of scheduling teams in similar time zones. “I don’t think it’s going to be as big of an issue with the tournament, but absolutely it makes a big difference. Typically, he says teams should be traveling 24 hours before a game to get their body adjusted to the time zone and mitigate jet lag.
“Sleep is super important because that’s where your muscles regenerate,” adds Dr. Jotwani. “If you don’t sleep well, muscle cells are irritable, making you more prone to injuries, cramps, and a poor ability to keep up on the field.”
Depending on the team, sleep aids like melatonin may be used to help players sleep when there’s a time zone change. Dr. Mullner notes Benadryl may also sometimes be used on occasion but it’s not ideal since it can make a person drowsy the next day. Prescription sleep medications also run the risk of potential performance issues so they are not widely used. “We always want to stick with the most natural sleep aids as possible,” adds Dr. Jotwani. “A supplement commonly used is tart cherry juice extract because it has chemicals that can aid in sleep.”
These sleep aids are especially helpful for late night matches where players are kept up later than usual, and when being pumped up from the energy of the match makes it harder to fall asleep. Dr. Jotwani says it typically takes two to three hours after exercise to get back to a normal state where sleep is ideal.
“This is where team sports scientists and athletic trainers work to adjust the schedule and the days going into that match to help an athlete get on more of a schedule of staying up late, and then adjusting training for the days following that,” he adds. “Maybe training takes place at a later time to allow that athlete to get a little bit more sleep the night before.”
While seven to eight hours of sleep is ideal for most people, Dr. Mullner says athletes may shoot for more than eight hours, potentially even adding a nap during the day. The goal is to increase their energy stores and keep their minds sharp.
Overall, Dr. Estes stresses that keeping athletes ready for the next match isn’t the work of one person but an interdisciplinary team composed of sports scientists, athletic training staff, nutritionists. All work together through training or events to support the player to do their best when they eventually set foot on the field.
Jocelyn Solis-Moreira, MS is the associate health & fitness for Men’s Health and has previously written for CNN, Scientific American, Popular Science, and National Geographic before joining the brand. When she’s not working, she’s doing circus arts or working towards the perfect pull-up.
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