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Match-Day Nutrition: What to Eat Before, During, and After a Match

Knowing what to eat around match-day is essential to perform your best. This article will help you to understand just that.


Introduction

In 1920, researchers August Krogh and Johannes Lindhard demonstrated that when people were fed a high-fat diet of bacon, butter, eggs, and cabbage for three days, they struggled with fatigue during a two-hour exercise test (1). But, when they ate a high-carbohydrate diet of potatoes, flour, bread, cake, marmalade, and sugar, they found the exercise to be easy (1).


This was one of the first pieces of evidence to suggest that manipulating what we eat can influence our performance, and it uncovered something that has since become fact: carbohydrates are king when it comes to fuelling for performance. However, there’s more to the story than carbohydrates, and this article will teach you exactly what to eat around match day to perform and recover your best.


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Check out the YouTube video that accompanies this article for more.


The Day Before a Match

You may have heard of carb-loading. It’s when athletes load up on carbohydrate-rich foods the day before a significant amount of exercise. This is the main focus of the day before a match (known as match day -1, or MD-1), to ensure that our muscles are fully stocked with this important nutrient. Alongside eating carbohydrate-rich foods, ensuring a moderate intake of protein, a low intake of fat, and good hydration is also important the day before a game.


Specifics of MD-1

  • Carbohydrates: Aim to eat 6–8 grams of carbohydrates per kilogram of your body weight (g/kg) (2). If you’re 60 kg, this is a carbohydrate intake of 360–480 g.

  • Protein: Protein recommendations for athletes are set at 1.2–2.0 g/kg/d (3). However, the day before a match, eating at the lower end of this scale is a good target (to make space for the extra carbohydrates you will be eating). If you’re 60 kg, this is a protein intake of 72–84 g (i.e., 1.2–1.4 g/kg).

  • Fat: Fat intake is of less importance on MD-1. Focus on meeting your carbohydrate and protein goals first, and then small portions of fatty foods (e.g., oil for cooking, nuts, avocado, etc.) can be eaten.

  • Hydration: Drink generous amounts of fluids (at least 2 litres (L) of water) and monitor the colour of urine, which should be pale to light yellow (3).


Pasta.

Pasta: a commonly eaten carbohydrate-rich food.


Match-Day Nutrition

The focus of match-day nutrition is similar to MD-1, but with additional focus on the proper timing of meals, as well as on eating low-fibre, familiar foods. For a lunch-time kick-off (e.g., 12:00), breakfast will be the main pre-match meal, and will need to be rich in easily digestible carbohydrates (see Table 1 down below for a short list of some of these foods).


For an afternoon (e.g., 15:00) or evening (e.g., 19:30) kick-off, your pre-match meal will come after breakfast, as the recommendation is to eat a carbohydrate-rich meal ~2–4 hours before kick-off (2). Keeping on top of hydration before, during, and after the match is key, as is replacing carbohydrates post-match while getting protein on board to facilitate recovery.


Specifics of Match Day

Pre-match:

  • Carbohydrates: If breakfast is the pre-match meal, try to get 2–3 g/kg of carbohydrates on board (2,3). If you’re 60 kg, this is 120–180 g. If your match is later in the day, try to get 1–2 g/kg on board at breakfast and focus on getting 2–3 g/kg of carbohydrates on board in your pre-match meal (2–4 hours prior to the match). This is a lot of carbohydrates, so it can be helpful to consume them through easy-to-eat foods like cereal or toast with jam, alongside liquids (e.g., fruit juice, carbohydrate-containing sports drinks).

  • Protein: Include some easy-to-digest protein sources in meals (e.g., yoghurts, milks, eggs/egg whites, lean meats, tofu), but don’t overdo it.

  • Fat: Keep meals low in fat.

  • Hydration: Drink generous amounts of fluids, monitor the colour of urine (which should be pale to light yellow), and get ~200 millilitres (mL) of fluids on board 5–10 minutes before kick-off (3).

  • Caffeine: Taking 3–6 milligrams (mg) of caffeine 60 minutes before the match can improve performance. This is 180–360 mg for a 60 kg person, and the best way to consume this is via caffeine pills or gums, as the dose is controlled (just make sure it's Informed Sport or NSF certified, especially if you are subject to drug testing). The caffeine content of coffee is quite variable, so it is not the best way to get the right dose of caffeine on board. Coffee can also cause some stomach distress, so drinking a couple of cups before a match is not ideal. It is important to note that caffeine negatively impacts sleep quality, so it might not be the best idea before an evening match.



Note: Other supplements like nitrates can be beneficial on match-day, and habitual use of beta-alanine and creatine may also be beneficial for performance.



During match:

  • Carbohydrates: Aim to get something in at half time, even if it’s a slice or two of orange, some dried fruit (e.g., raisins, dates), sweets (e.g., jellies), or a carbohydrate-containing sports drink.

  • Hydration: Aim to get fluids on board at half-time (e.g., water and/or sports drink) and, if possible, once during each half.


Post-match:

  • Within 30 minutes: Aim to eat 0.7 g/kg of carbohydrates as this is prime time to get carbohydrates back into your muscles, which will help to facilitate recovery (3). If you’re 60 kg, this is ~43 g, and can be gotten from two small bananas, two apples, 750 mL of a carbohydrate-containing sports drink, or a bagel with jam. Also ensure to get fluids on board and, if it’s very hot and/or you have sweated a lot, a drink with electrolytes can be a good option.

  • Within two hours: Eat a balanced meal containing a good source of carbohydrates, protein, and some fat. For example, this could be grilled chicken/tofu/fish with rice and vegetables stir-fried in olive oil, or you could swap the rice for pasta or a wrap.

  • Rest of day: Ensure other meals are likewise rich in protein, carbohydrates, and vegetables. This will aid the recovery process.


The Day After a Match

Nutrition the day after a match (or MD+1) is very similar to MD-1, although the carbohydrate content can be lower if you don’t have another match in the next day or two. In addition, your protein intake can come up towards 1.6 g/kg/d, which is likely the optimal amount for supporting muscle strength and growth (4,5).


Table 1. Easily digestible carbohydrate-rich foods.

Food

Amount of carbohydrates per 100 g

White rice, cooked

28 g

White pasta, cooked

29 g

Banana

21 g

White bread

47 g

Rice cakes

77 g

Fruit juice

12 g

Carbohydrate-containing sports drink (e.g., Lucozade Sport)

7 g

Maple syrup/honey

67–82 g

Dried fruit (e.g., dates, raisins)

67–74 g

Low-fibre breakfast cereals (e.g., Coco Pops)

83 g

Note: Serving sizes of foods differ, so foods with less g of carbohydrates per 100 g are not necessarily poorer sources in practice. Nutritional composition of foods was sourced from cronometer.com.


Summary

Hopefully this article has given you insight into the main nutritional considerations the day before, of, and after a match. For assistance in putting these recommendations into action, check out our previous articles on carbohydrates and behaviour change. This article accompanies our YouTube video on this topic, so be sure to check that out for more insights into proper nutritional practices around match day.


If you are serious about levelling up your football skills, contact us at admin@training121.com to book in with our coaches for a session. And remember to sign up to our mailing list to be notified when a new blog article drops.


Thanks for reading!


Patrick Elliott, BSc, MPH

Health and Nutrition Science Communication Officer at Training121

Twitter/X: @PatrickElliott0


References

(1) Krogh A, Lindhard J. The Relative Value of Fat and Carbohydrate as Sources of Muscular Energy: With Appendices on the Correlation between Standard Metabolism and the Respiratory Quotient during Rest and Work. Biochem J. 1920;14(3–4):290–363. Available at: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1263890/


(2) Collins J, Maughan RJ, Gleeson M, Bilsborough J, Jeukendrup A, Morton JP, Phillips SM, Armstrong L, Burke LM, Close GL, Duffield R, Larson-Meyer E, Louis J, Medina D, Meyer F, Rollo I, Sundgot-Borgen J, Wall BT, Boullosa B, Dupont G, Lizarraga A, Res P, Bizzini M, Castagna C, Cowie CM, D'Hooghe M, Geyer H, Meyer T, Papadimitriou N, Vouillamoz M, McCall A. UEFA expert group statement on nutrition in elite football. Current evidence to inform practical recommendations and guide future research. Br J Sports Med. 2021;55(8):416. Available at: https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/55/8/416.long


(3) Thomas DT, Erdman KA, Burke LM. Position of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Dietitians of Canada, and the American College of Sports Medicine: Nutrition and Athletic Performance. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2016;116(3):501–28. Available at: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2016/03000/Nutrition_and_Athletic_Performance.25.aspx


(4) Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, Schoenfeld BJ, Henselmans M, Helms E, Aragon AA, Devries MC, Banfield L, Krieger JW, Phillips SM. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376–84. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5867436/


(5) Nunes EA, Colenso-Semple L, McKellar SR, Yau T, Ali MU, Fitzpatrick-Lewis D, Sherifali D, Gaudichon C, Tomé D, Atherton PJ, Robles MC, Naranjo-Modad S, Braun M, Landi F, Phillips SM. Systematic review and meta-analysis of protein intake to support muscle mass and function in healthy adults. J Cachexia Sarcopenia Muscle. 2022;13(2):795–810. Available at: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jcsm.12922


Technical Terms

Carb-loading: Short for carbohydrate loading, this is a strategy athletes often use before endurance events—like marathons, triathlons, or long-distance bike rides—and team sport matches (e.g., football). The idea is to eat extra carbohydrate-rich foods (such as pasta, rice, potatoes, or bread) in the days leading up to the event. Since carbohydrates are the body’s main source of quick energy, this helps ‘fill up the tank’ by maximising the amount of glycogen (stored energy) in the muscles. With more glycogen available, athletes can delay fatigue and maintain their performance for a longer period of time.


Fibre: This is a type of carbohydrate found in plant foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans, nuts, and seeds. Unlike other carbs, fibre isn’t fully broken down and absorbed by the body. Instead, it travels through the digestive system, helping to keep it healthy and working smoothly. While fibre is healthy, it is best avoided pre-match as it can slow down the rate of carbohydrate absorption and cause gastrointestinal distress in some individuals (e.g., bloating, diarrhoea).

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