This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
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
Dan Abrahams has worked with Premier League clubs and international men’s and women’s players, as well as Formula 1 teams, to help individuals and teams stay motivated, confident and focused on their game.
What role does psychology play in sport?
“There’s the day-to-day wellbeing, which is managing thoughts and feelings, as well as mental health issues like anxiety, depression and personality disorders. Sport psychologists work alongside clinical psychologists to help with all of this.”
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.”
How do you help footballers to get ‘in the zone’?
“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.
“Basic action-based word cues can help. One of the people I work with, who was in contention to play in the World Cup, has two words that are really important to him and they are ‘dominant’ and ‘relentless’. Whether he’s running with the ball or has given it away, he strives to retain that sense of purpose, almost like a mantra.”
How did former England manager Gareth Southgate’s use of sports psychologists change attitudes?
“He normalised their use at every level. With [psychologist] Pippa Grange, he changed the narrative around penalty kicks: the team had seen them as luck rather than skill, but through developing pre-penalty routines they felt the outcome was more under their control. Not completely, but a little bit.
“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.”
What role does sport psychology play between matches?
“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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The sports nutritionist
Ian Perkins has worked with football academies, international rugby players, endurance athletes and Paralympians, advising on diet, nutrition, hydration, recovery programmes and weight management.
What work does the team put in ahead of the World Cup to ensure nutrition needs are met?
“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.”
How do you optimise a footballer’s nutrition on match day itself?
“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.”
The half-time snack is a famous ritual. How important is that mid-game recharge?
“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.”
As a nutritionist, how would you advise players to prepare for a penalty shoot-out?
“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.”
What’s the biggest challenge in persuading players to get their nutrition right?
“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.”
Such as?
“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
Dr David Garley works with Premier League teams, Olympians, international rugby teams, Formula 1 teams and professional athletes to help them get a good night’s sleep.
Why does sound sleep matter in football in particular?
“Sleep is one of the cornerstones of performance, but it’s harder to control than nutrition or training. In the pressure cooker of football, any form of stress is often reflected in sleep, which is a sensitive barometer for other things going on in an athlete’s life.”
How do you help athletes prepare to get rest before the big games?
“Match anxiety is a common worry. Most people aren’t going to sleep properly on the night before a World Cup match. Get into bed too early and all you’re going to do is look at the ceiling with your escalating worries. You’re much better off going to bed an hour later than usual, maybe even two, and falling asleep quickly.”
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.”
Are there telltale signs that a player is sleep-deprived?
“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.”
How do you prepare players to recover and rest after a game, particularly if they’ve lost the match, or have missed a penalty?
“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.”
What’s your one essential piece of advice if sleep plans go wrong?
“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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