The 2026 FIFA World Cup has the best athletes on earth deploying cutting-edge science to protect sleep, manage jet lag, optimise nutrition, and perform under the highest pressure in world sport.

In this episode, Abi Khan breaks down exactly what those protocols are, and why every single one of them applies to you. If you travel for work, operate under daily pressure, and haven't slept properly in years, this episode gives you the elite performance playbook, translated for your life.

Studies Referenced:

[1] Taylor L et al., "The 2026 Men's FIFA Football World Cup: Evidence-Based Guidelines to Protect Player Health and Performance from Environmental Challenges," Sports Medicine, 2026. DOI: 10.1007/s40279-026-02398-4. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-026-02398-4

[2] Chrismas B & Taylor L et al., "One Step Further: Integrating Evidence-Based Guidelines into Practice to Address Environmental Challenges at the Men's 2026 FIFA World Cup," Sports Medicine, 2026. DOI: 10.1007/s40279-026-02415-6. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40279-026-02415-6

[3] Doherty R et al., "A Narrative Review of the Impact of Sleep on Athletes: Sleep Restriction Causes and Consequences, Monitoring, and Interventions," Cureus/PMC, 2024. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11779686/

[4] Rui et al., "Influence of Carbohydrate Intake on Different Parameters of Soccer Players' Performance: Systematic Review," Nutrients, 2024; 16(21):3731. DOI: 10.3390/nu16213731. https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/16/21/3731

[5] Mitchell BL et al., "Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Body Mass Index and Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," British Journal of Sports Medicine/PMC, 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11874340/

[6] Laukkanen JA et al., "Midlife Cardiorespiratory Fitness and the Long-Term Risk of Mortality: 46 Years of Follow-Up," Journal of the American College of Cardiology, 2018. DOI: 10.1016/j.jacc.2018.06.045. https://www.jacc.org/doi/10.1016/j.jacc.2018.06.045

[7] Shi L et al., "Exploring the Association of Mindfulness, Confidence, Competitive State Anxiety, and Attention Control in Soccer Penalty Shootouts," Frontiers in Psychology, 2024. DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1439654. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1439654/full

[8] Périard JD et al., "Exercise Under Heat Stress: Thermoregulation, Hydration, Performance Implications, and Mitigation Strategies," Physiological Reviews, 2021. DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00038.2020. https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/physrev.00038.2020

Want to go deeper? All studies are linked above.