Ready for the 2026 World Cup final? You might think you are, but your body is going to have to be prepared to put in some work—especially if your favorite team makes it.
Research shows that watching high-pressure matches can raise your heart rate, increase your stress levels, and put extra strain on your cardiovascular system.
According to a recent study from researchers at Bielefeld University in Germany, fans’ physiological stress increases by about 41 percent during a soccer final compared to a normal day. Heart rate also rose significantly, jumping from 70.9 beats per minute to 78.7 beats per minute—a difference even when compared to other weekends.
Researchers at Bielefeld tracked 229 fans of the German club Arminia Bielefeld for three months. Participants wore smartwatches that continuously recorded heart rate and an estimated stress index based on heart rate variability, allowing researchers to compare the day of the 2025 German Cup final with the days leading up to the match.
The physiological reaction to the soccer final began long before the match began. The researchers saw fans’ stress levels begin to rise in the morning and peak just before kickoff. Even after the final whistle, viewers showed signs of elevated stress.
Where you watch the game also makes a difference. The study found that fans who watched at the stadium had an average heart rate of 94.2 beats per minute compared to 79.4 among those who watched the match on television. After their team’s first goal, those in the stands saw their heart rate climb to an average of up to 108 beats per minute—a much more intense response than that observed in other contexts.
Alcohol consumption appeared to amplify that effect. Participants who reported drinking during the game had a heart rate approximately 5 percent higher than the rest of the fans during the match and nearly 12 percent higher after their team’s first goal. Although the researchers did not assess medical risks, they note that alcohol can increase cardiovascular strain when people are in an emotional state.
During the first few minutes of the match, when the outcome was still uncertain, heart rates reached their highest levels. Once the game seemed to be decided, fans’ heart rates dropped.
However, two goals scored in the final minutes caused them to spike again, even though the chances of a comeback were practically nil. (You can only imagine how fast Argentina fans’ hearts were thumping during this week’s furious comeback against Egypt.) For the authors, this reflects that the body responds not only to the objective chances of winning but also to emotions such as hope, pride, or attachment to the team.
The findings align with the results of previous studies on the physiological impacts of soccer. That incluides a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine after the 2006 World Cup in Germany, found that the risk of suffering an acute cardiovascular event nearly triples during German national team matches among people with preexisting heart conditions.
Subsequent research shows that matches can lead to an increase in stress hormones such as cortisol and found that fans who identify more strongly with their team exhibit more intense biological responses during decisive matches.
This article originally appeared on WIRED en Español and has been translated from Spanish.
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