With the World Cup 2026 now under way, sports psychologists, nutritionists and sleep specialists talk to Radio Times about how footballers prepare for big games.
The experts
The sports psychologist
What role does psychology play in sport?
What’s the most common issue that players struggle with at a tournament like the World Cup?
"Performance anxiety. This is their dream and the world is watching, but they don’t know how it’s going to go and they’re not playing with their regular team-mates, so the cues are less familiar."
"The biggest myth is that psychology applies from the neck upwards. It’s embedded in a player’s entire behaviour. You’re trying to strip away the noise, help them relax about performance and focus on their mindset.
How did former England manager Gareth Southgate’s use of sports psychologists change attitudes?
"Previous England teams were incredible, but under-performed because they lacked an identity – they were competitive enemies who identified themselves by their league team rather than as England players. Southgate tried to break down those barriers through activities and conversations."
"One criticism of Southgate’s predecessor, Fabio Capello, in the 2010 World Cup was that his players were bored between games. Southgate kept that at the forefront of his mind – famously symbolised by giving them inflatable unicorns in the swimming pool. But you have to give each player some autonomy, and recognise that they range in age from about 20 to their early 30s with a range of maturities, cultural backgrounds and personalities. Some with more introverted tendencies might say the unicorn’s not for them."
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Ian Perkins has worked with football academies, international rugby players, endurance athletes and Paralympians, advising on diet, nutrition, hydration, recovery programmes and weight management.
"Club nutritionists will do body composition testing, tracking and monitoring, checking players’ weights before and after training and matches, and track how much sweat they lose. To stay hydrated, they have to take in about 1.5 times what they lose."
"Breakfasts might be Scotch pancakes with maple syrup, toast with butter, or eggs with avocado and some smoked salmon. Some players may not want a large lunch, so they might go for higher-carb food than usual, relying a bit more on juices, smoothies and sauces."
"These footballers are covering kilometres of high-speed running and sprinting; there’s a lot of anaerobic work and bursts of intense energy. They need to get their liquids in – a carbohydrate gel and an energy drink.
"If a player stays under-fuelled, fatigue can set in, which can lead to cramp – their body isn’t able to perform the actions that it needs to."
"They can be beset by a high cognitive fatigue in those critical moments. Any energy you can get into them, you should. It settles them down and keeps them hydrated and their bodies cool down, especially in a humid environment. Caffeine chewing gum can be effective here as a means of taking a large energy hit for a small action that lasts a second."
"It can be hard to get across the effect of what they are consuming in the moment. A player said to me he wasn’t taking his supplements because he didn’t feel they were doing anything. I told him he shouldn’t feel anything if they were doing their work. Changing habits is hard – one player ate loads of sweets, telling me he’ll eat what he wants. Sweets may be great for energy, but I had to nudge him into thinking about maybe trying more fruit."
"Keep it diverse and colour-rich. Kiwi fruits are great for post-match recovery as they’re high in tryptophan, which can induce sleep. If players don’t want to eat them as they are, offer kiwi ice lollies or yogurt."
The sleep specialist
Why does sound sleep matter in football in particular?
How do you help athletes prepare to get rest before the big games?
Are naps a good idea?
"Yes – because players get up so early to train, a series of shorter naps throughout the day can help. But they should only be 20-30 minutes, when you’re still in shallow sleep and waking up is pretty easy. Beyond that, you risk ending up with sleep inertia, where you feel like a zombie for an hour."
"Lack of sleep can have a cognitive effect: the same amount of work feels like more. Your muscles are working the same, but it feels like you may start to flag at the end. You may not read changes in strategy early on, or you might not reach your opposite player in the way that you want."
"Suppress an intrusive thought and it springs back even bigger. Instead, lean into it, but in a structured way. Write down what’s on your mind and promise yourself to think about it again after your morning shower or coffee. Scheduling a debrief with your coach the next day can also unburden the mind."
"Trust all other aspects of your training. Humans have built-in resilience. The World Cup schedule is heightened, but if you have a few nights of bad sleep, you will probably still be OK. If you want to have an affogato at 10pm, have one. It’s important to be realistic and flexible. Strive for perfection with sleep and it’ll usually go the other way."
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