What watching a football final does for your body, according to science

Ready for World Cup 2026 last? You may think you are, but your body has to be ready to put in some work, especially if your favorite team makes it.

Research shows that watching high-stress matches can raise your heart rate, increase your stress levels, and put extra stress on your cardiovascular system.

According to A Recent study Researchers at Bielefeld University in Germany found that fans’ physiological stress increases by about 41 percent during a soccer final compared to a typical day. The 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 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 football final begins long before the match starts. The researchers noted that fans’ stress levels begin to rise in the morning and reach their peak just before the match kicks off. Even after the final whistle, viewers showed signs of growing tension.

Where you watch the match also makes a difference. The study found that fans who watched V.I Pitch The average heart rate was 94.2 beats per minute compared to 79.4 among those who watched the game on television. After their team’s first goal, those in the stands saw their heart rates rise to an average of 108 beats per minute, a much more intense response than that observed in other contexts.

Alcohol consumption This effect appears to be amplified. Participants who reported drinking during the game had their heart rates about 5 percent higher than other fans during the game and about 12 percent higher after their team’s first goal. Although the researchers did not evaluate Medical risksThey noted that alcohol can increase cardiovascular stress 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. As soon as it looked like the game was decided, the fans’ heart rates dropped.

However, two goals scored in the final minutes saw them rise again, although the chances of a comeback were almost non-existent. (You can only imagine how fast the hearts of Argentina fans beat during this week’s furious comeback against Egypt.) To the authors, this reflects that the body responds not only to objective chances of winning but also to feelings such as hope, pride, or attachment to the team.

The results are consistent with the results of previous studies on the physiological effects of football. This includes a study published in New England Journal of Medicine After the 2006 World Cup in Germany, it was found that the risk of severe cardiovascular disease nearly tripled during German national team matches among people with pre-existing heart disease.

Subsequent research has shown that matches can trigger increases in stress hormones such as cortisol, and found that fans who identify more strongly with their team show more intense biological responses during crucial matches.

This article originally appeared on WIRED in Spanish It was translated from Spanish.