As World Cup buzz builds, here’s how to keep soccer healthy and safe for kids and teens

Soccer fans will have plenty to cheer this summer as the men’s World Cup is played out in stadiums across North America.

But every year, millions of families across the U.S. flock to neighborhood parks and open fields for a simpler level of the game – not necessarily expecting Lionel Messi-level brilliance but because they want to encourage their kids and teens to stay healthy.

That’s a good idea, said Dr. Felipe Lobelo, an associate professor at the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health in Atlanta. “Soccer has a lot of potential health benefits in terms of cardiovascular health and fitness.”

Lobelo, a lifelong player of the sport, is founder of the Soccer for Health Initiative, which studies how soccer can promote health. That initiative includes Heart Health United(link opens in new window), an American Heart Association-supported research effort.

Exercise and movement are critical for everyone, he said, but particularly for children and adolescents. The Association recommends that kids and teens get at least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day. According to a 2025 scientific statement(link opens in new window) from the Association, less than half of adolescents reach that mark.

Dr. Andrew Agbaje, an associate professor of clinical epidemiology and child health at the University of Eastern Finland in Kuopio, called sedentary behavior in childhood an “important and preventable” risk factor for obesity, high blood pressure and other threats to heart health.

“By participating in soccer, we take away those risk factors” and lower the odds of heart disease later in life, said Agbaje, a member of the Association’s Young Hearts cardiovascular disease prevention committee. Late adolescence is particularly important for developing exercise habits, he said, because it sets patterns for adulthood.

But any level of soccer – or football, if you’re outside the United States – fights the problem of being sedentary, Agbaje said. As he put it, “it’s impossible to be running after a football and be looking at Instagram at the same time.”

What are the health benefits of youth soccer?

Lobelo called soccer “a very efficient way” for anyone to get their recommended dose of physical activity. The jogging and sprinting provide heart-boosting aerobic exercise, while the jumping, speeding up and sudden stops help young muscles and bones.

Soccer’s benefits go beyond physical fitness, he said. Physical activity in general, and soccer in particular, has been shown to boost cognitive development. Soccer also can provide healthy social interaction.

Agbaje noted that exercise such as soccer is also “very, very good” at preventing youth from smoking. “At the age of 11, we can prevent 60% of children that would have picked up smoking habits by the age of 13,” he said.

Does the risk of injuries outweigh soccer’s health benefits for kids?

“With any physical activity, there’s going to be a risk of injury, but the benefits far, far outweigh the potential risks,” Lobelo said. “But those risks are important to consider, and that’s why some strategies are important for parents to know.”

According to the 2024-25 National High School Sports-Related Injury Study, girls’ soccer had the third-highest injury rate among high school sports, behind boys’ football and girls’ wrestling. Boys’ soccer ranked seventh.

Lobelo said simple steps can lower the risk of injuries.

• Always warm up. Dynamic warm-ups have been shown to significantly reduce the risk of common injuries, he said.
• Play multiple sports. “Avoid specialization early on,” he said. Studies have shown that focusing on one sport early on raises the risk of injuries and other problems in young athletes. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests delaying specialization until age 15 or 16 both limits injuries and boosts the odds of athletic success.
• Keep the training age-appropriate. An adult exercising is different from a young person exercising because the heart is still growing, Agbaje said. Coaches and other adults overseeing young people need an approach that’s suitable for their capacity.

Lobelo agrees with the rule of thumb to limit the number of weekly hours of playing to one hour for every year of age. “If you have a 10-year-old, they should not be going over 10 hours a week of practice and playtime.”

What about concussions?

“The risk of concussion is always going to be there in contact sports like basketball or football or soccer,” Lobelo said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that girls’ soccer has the second-highest concussion rate among youth sports, behind only boys’ football. Boys’ soccer ranks ninth.

Changes in the youth game could help. Since 2015, the U.S. Soccer Federation has banned heading for players ages 10 and younger. Players 11 to 13 are allowed to perform headers in matches and on a limited basis during practice. Similar protocols are being adopted in England, Lobelo said.

What are some other ways to make sure soccer matches are safe and healthy?

• Keep it small. Lobelo endorses age-appropriate fields and team sizes. “When you have kids that are too little playing on a big field, there can be more time just idling and walking or not engaging,” he said. But in 3-on-3 or 5-on-5 games, “everyone’s going to be engaged. Everyone's going to be running. And you actually see more benefits,” on both the technical and physical aspects.
• Keep up with physical exams. “The baseline health profile of these kids needs to be evaluated,” Agbaje said. Lobelo said a pediatrician or family doctor can recommend what kind of screening is appropriate for young athletes. The Heart Association recommends a 14-point cardiac evaluation that includes blood pressure measurement and questions about family history. An electrocardiogram is considered reasonable if an expert is available to interpret the results.
• Know CPR. “Everyone associated with the game – parents, players, coaches, trainers, referees – should at a minimum be knowledgeable on how to do CPR and ideally be CPR certified,” Lobelo said. An automated external defibrillator should be available.
• Watch the weather. Lobelo emphasized the importance of following protocols about heat and drinking enough water. Kids are more at risk than adults for such issues, he said. The U.S. Soccer Federation is a good resource for soccer-specific safety information, Lobelo said.
• Support access for everyone. Kids can’t play if they don’t have a safe space for it, Agbaje said. Localities “have to make an environment possible that children can play soccer in peace.”

Why perspective is important in youth soccer?

Agbaje said parents and coaches need a balanced approach to competition, lest “what is supposed to be healthy becomes pathological.”

Lobelo, who started playing as a small child growing up in Colombia, played competitively through college and has been part of the U.S. Medical Soccer Team, a group of medical professionals that competes internationally. He has an 11-year-old who plays and a 3-year-old who might someday.

But as much as he loves the sport, he also emphasizes the need for perspective.

“Competition can be fun, as long as it’s managed appropriately,” Lobelo said. “But you see situations where kids are traveling hours, sometimes even by plane, to soccer tournaments at the ages of 7, 8 and 9. And you start to wonder, ‘Is this the best use of kids’ time, family time and resources? Or is the risk of burnout too high?’”

To him, it’s OK to be competitive “but not so competitive that it puts people off. We want kids to keep playing for their whole lives.”

The American Heart Association has teamed up with the National Women’s Soccer League to emphasize the importance of CPR training with the league’s 16 teams. Join the Association’s Nation of Lifesavers and learn CPR today — at home, on your own schedule – at www.heart.org/nation.