
Learn how a diet plan is important for a player and what to eat before a soccer game. Also, learn about the advantages of appropriate food and its intake before and after a soccer match.
Time | Good Foods to Eat |
---|---|
Breakfast before a soccer game | high in carbohydrates, protein with little fat (avoid fatty and spicy foods with high fiber content) |
Lunch before a soccer game | high carbohydrates, protein with little fat (avoid fatty and spicy foods with high fiber content) |
Dinner before a soccer game | complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, while staying hydrated. |
Main Meal 4 hours before kickoff | consisting of starch, protein, and fresh cucumbers. |
2 hours before a soccer game | decrease the amount of food consumed, avoid fat and fiber, and focus on easily digestible carbohydrates. |
1 before a soccer game | small snack rich in carbohydrates but low in fat and fiber, such as yogurt with fruit salad or banana with a handful of almonds. |
*Avoid before a soccer game | fatty foods, caffeinated items, carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverages, artificial sweeteners, gassy foods, desserts, spicy foods, and energy drinks. |
When thinking about the diet of a professional soccer player, many details need to be well thought out. A specialist soccer player’s diet plan should complement their training schedule. For example, if they are trying to build muscle, it is common sense that their diet should contain more protein.
In this article, I will tell you the nutrition requirements and diet plan for soccer players before the game.
If you are concerned about improving your overall soccer game and want to increase your soccer fitness levels, check out your food resources.
If their diet is not appropriate and complementary to their training schedule, they may never achieve their objectives.
The diet of a qualified soccer player is as significant as any of their other training sessions and should be treated the same way. An enormous central defender who is essential to be strong, powerful, and leading would not have the same training schedule as a small attacking winger who needs to be quick and lithe, so in the same way, they would not have the same diets.
A professional soccer player’s diet plan shows the commitment required to make him a pro.
All professional soccer players always pay full attention to what they are eating and drinking around the clock, which is not always easy, and whatever diet they have set out must be firmly followed.
Nourishments high in saturated fats must be avoided, as with sugary foods. However, sometimes before a match, a sugary snack is necessary to provide an extra boost of energy!
The sugar in energy drinks gives the burst of energy that a player requires, which is why professional soccer players are frequently seen drinking them before a match.
Professional soccer players often consume pasta that is made up of complex carbohydrates because of their energy-providing potential. Although the effects are not immediate like sugars, if eaten the night before a soccer match, these simple carbohydrates can give you a physical advantage!
So although professional soccer players must be careful about their diet, they must also be aware of the time to eat and drink certain products for all-out benefits.
So according to a known saying, “you are what you eat” is correct. It is important to remember you are also where and when you eat!
Old stories and video clips of past soccer players tell us that they eat and drink a lot before the start of a match. Some players were in the habit of smoking halftime.
In this modern era of professional soccer, coaches and players are doing everything possible to give them the chance to perform at their best. Team management keeps nutritionists and diet advisers with them. Coaches and players are also very conscious about their fitness.
What to Eat for Breakfast Before A Soccer Game?

It is essential that three to four hours before the game, soccer players should have a breakfast based mostly on carbohydrates.
An excellent pre-game breakfast would be:
- 1 cup of oatmeal combined with low-fat milk
- 8-ounce glass of orange juice
- 1 banana
- 1 piece of whole-wheat bread
Complex carbohydrates like whole grains will ensure your muscles have enough energy to get you through the game. A few hours before game time, you should be focused on low or fat-free dairy or carbohydrates that are low in fiber and are easily digestible, such as fruit.
This diet provides quick energy and is less likely to give you a troubled stomach. A fruit drink prepared from yogurt, milk, and fresh fruit is also a decent selection.
High-fat meals, such as sausage or bacon and full milk dairy foods, can slow your digestion and put you in an uncomfortable situation with heavy feelings closer to game time; you may choose a liquid form of protein to reduce ingestion time, such as a high-carb fruit drink prepared by using milk and yogurt.
You must avoid butter, margarine, and any breakfast appetizers containing gravy, cream sauces, or oily items such as fried chicken steak or deep-fried potatoes.
If you eat three to four hours before play, your meal should not exceed 5 percent fat. Eating closer to game time keeps fats less than 5 percent in your meal.
Take at least 2 to 3 cups of water with breakfast and continue to drink more as the start time nears to avoid dehydration during the game. Avoid sugary or fizzy drinks and severely caffeinated foods like energy drinks.
What to Eat for Lunch Before A Soccer Game?
Its basic thing is that your body is fueled with enough energy to contest. Let’s look at a couple of ways you can put this into practice. Take some orange juice and eat adequately. Take an adequate amount of fluids to avoid dehydration.
Take high carbohydrates for breakfast and a light lunch. If you have an afternoon soccer game, having a high-carbohydrate dinner the night before is necessary. You must eat three to four balanced meals simultaneously each day.
You can eat food Abundant in simple carbohydrates, such as white bread, cereals, fruit, etc.
You must take digestible protein with little fat, such as turkey, fresh cheese, skimmed yogurt, etc.
Avoid fatty and spicy foods with high fiber content, as they slow digestion.

What to Eat at Night Before Game Day?
The traditional dinner for you is to eat complex carbohydrates because they take a long time to break down, letting energy be stored and ready later.
Your dinner meal must comprise whole grains, such as darker bread, pasta, and rice, or equivalent to this in your local area. It’s necessary to stay hydrated and keep in mind that you need to start drinking extra water at least the day before the game, not just a couple of hours in advance
Strictly adhere to the rule of balance, eating just enough to fulfill your body requirements and without feeling heavy
How Long Before the Soccer Game You Can Eat?
You must take your main meal 4 hours before the kickoff with the following food items. Take 2 bowls of white rice for starch, 1 chicken breast about 1 ounce for protein, and Fresh Cucumbers.
In the morning, about 4 hours before your match, you need to eat cereal and fruit. Again, this is a food high in carbohydrates. If you do need food within two hours of a match, you should try eating snack foods that are more easily digestible, simple carbohydrates such as fruits, pudding, or yogurt.
What to Eat Two Hours Before A Soccer Game?
Before two hours of the game, the amount of food you eat must decrease, but the meal balance may be similar.
It’s quite important to feed your body and provide fuel to working muscles; make sure you pick foods that are easy to digest.
Take a small number of carbohydrates, which are critical to keeping you fueled during the game, and don’t forget hydration.
Take the fat and fiber in fewer amounts as you get closer to game time.
Fat and fiber are the foods you must avoid before the game because they can slow digestion, making it more difficult for your body to access the carbohydrates needed to keep you fueled on the field.
What to Eat 1 Hour Before A Soccer Game?
Many players may also have an additional small snack an hour before the game. This is frequently light, rich in carbohydrates but comparatively low in fat and fiber, so it is easy to digest.
Some suitable pre-game snack ideas include yogurt with fruit salad, banana and a handful of almonds, peanut butter on rice cakes, and toast with vegemite and cheese. Fruit juices are the best source of rich body hydration.
What to Not Eat Before A Soccer Game?
In many circumstances, you are not supposed to eat the following foods
Fatty foods include fried food, fast food, hamburgers, fried chicken, fatty pizza, and bacon. This will upset your stomach with possible swelling, pain, and diarrhea.
Caffeinated items like soda, tea, and coffee will not be good before a football game, especially if they have extra sugar and calories. Caffeine may affect your hydration status. Keep hydrating your body with plain water.
Carbonated Beverages produce air bubbles from the carbonation, which will stay in your stomach for an unpleasant dyspepsia experience. Any sugary drink is not the right choice.
Don’t use Alcoholic beverages before the match, which leads to dehydration. Playing under the influence is a poor idea and can lead to an injury.
Artificial Sweeteners can affect digestion and cause an upset stomach, which is unnecessary on game day. Keep yourself away from any candy, sports drinks, diet soda, and drinks.
Don’t use foods that have gassy effects, like beans and cruciferous vegetables, cauliflower, cabbage, and broccoli, to avoid discomfort during your game.
You must avoid consuming desserts before the game because they are high in all the wrong types of nutrients and do not contain what you want in your body for fuel when you are going to perform at your best.
You must know your limit about spicy foods to avoid heartburn during a game. Avoid taking Mexican foods, Asian foods, and salsas before a match.
Energy drinks are usually carbonated and full of sugar and too abundant caffeine. Sometimes caffeine may help during a workout, but there are also negative effects. Some sports drinks might be useful, but energy drinks normally contain too many ingredients you want to avoid.
What to eat before a soccer game – Final Score…
Breakfast before a soccer game | carbohydrates, such as oatmeal, orange juice, banana, and whole-wheat bread. |
Lunch before a soccer game | high in carbohydrates and protein with little fat (avoid fatty and spicy foods with high fiber content) |
Dinner before a soccer game | complex carbohydrates, such as whole grains, while staying hydrated. |
Main Meal 4 hours before kickoff | consisting of starch, protein, and fresh cucumbers. |
2 hours before a soccer game | decrease the amount of food consumed, avoid fat and fiber, and focus on easily digestible carbohydrates. |
1 before a soccer game | small snack rich in carbohydrates but low in fat and fiber, such as yogurt with fruit salad or banana with a handful of almonds. |
*Avoid before a soccer game | fatty foods, caffeinated items, carbonated beverages, alcoholic beverages, artificial sweeteners, gassy foods, desserts, spicy foods, and energy drinks. |