Best Breakfast Before a Soccer Game

For soccer players, eating the best breakfast before a soccer game fuels your muscles with energy, maintains your focus and helps you perform your best at your match. 

However, knowing the best breakfast to before a soccer game can be a challenge, especially if you have an early morning game at 8 or 9 AM and you have to get up at 5 or 6AM to get ready and travel to the field.

If you have an early morning game, you might be tempted to skip breakfast. But that could be a big mistake.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. In this blog post, we’ll show you what we recommend to soccer players we work with for the best breakfasts for soccer players, whether your game is at 8 AM or 11 AM. 

We’ll also give you some tips on how to plan your pre-game meal and snacks, based on the latest research and expert advice

So, let’s dive in and explore the best breakfast before a soccer game!

Should you eat before a morning soccer game

You should eat before a morning soccer game because playing soccer on an empty stomach is a bad idea. It can make you feel tired, weak and you may run out of steam, putting you at risk for injuries.

Your mental game will be affected and you may lose focus and concentration when you need it most.

That’s why in the morning you need to eat the best breakfast before soccer game. Studies show that eating high-carbohydrate foods before a game can improve your performance and endurance. (1)

Carbs provide your muscles with glucose, which is the main source of energy for soccer players.

This is why it is essential to choose a balanced breakfast that includes high carbohydrate foods to keep your blood sugar levels steady. 

If you’re not used to eating breakfast before a soccer game, you might find it hard to eat a lot before a game. That’s okay, you can start small and gradually increase your intake.

Just make sure you eat something easy to digest and avoid foods that can upset your stomach or cause gas.

You may need to start out with sipping a sports drink or smoothie, then gradually add food as your body gets used to eating the best breakfast before a soccer game.

What should I eat for breakfast before a soccer game?

You should eat a breakfast before a soccer game that’s high in carbohydrates, lower in protein, fats and fiber. Since it’s earlier in the morning and you may not have enough time to digest a full meal, try to eat foods you know sit well with you. 

For most athletes, the best breakfast before a soccer game could include foods such as:

• oatmeal with milk
• banana and almond butter
• whole grain bread toast
• smoothies
• whole grain cereal
• roasted or baked potato with a hard boiled or fried egg
• pancakes and waffles
• granola bars
• leftover rice and lean protein
• bagel with cream cheese
• whole wheat english muffin breakfast sandwich

Stick to simpler plain high carb foods that won’t cause bloating or stomach upset.

If you have at least 3-4 hours before game time, check out our blog post on pre game meals for more ideas. And for more breakfast ideas before soccer games, check out our 25 best breakfast ideas for athletes and recommendations for breakfast for teens.

Also, our carbohydrate calculator can help you zero in on how many carbs you need to best fuel your muscles, depending on how much time you have before your sports activity.

What should I eat for breakfast 2 hours before a soccer game?

When you have about 2 hours before a soccer game, you should eat a breakfast that’s around 200-400 calories. This meal should be high in complex carbohydrates. 

Additionally it should lower in protein, fiber and healthy fats since these take longer to digest and can cause stomach upset. (2 ,3, 4)

You may not have time to eat a full pre game meal that you can fully digest. Or you may not feel like eating right away and also want to avoid an upset stomach come game time.

Breakfast ideas for 2 hours before a game

Here are some easy breakfast ideas when you have two hours until game time.

• Greek yogurt with berries and granola
• Banana and almond butter whole grain toast
• Smoothie bowl with low fat yogurt, blueberries, chia seeds
• Chia pudding with dried cranberrry and pumpkin seeds
• Overnight oats topped with sliced banana
• Whole grain cereal with milk and dried cherries
• Whole wheat bagel with cream cheese and sliced strawberries
• Oatmeal with milk and berries
• Fig bars, granola bars
• Peanut butter and honey sandwiches
• Pancakes or waffles
• Whole grain toast and peanut butter
• Fruit smoothie bowl
• Granola bar and banana
• Low fat greek yogurt and blueberries

What if I don’t feel like eating before my morning soccer game

When you have an early morning game and it’s just too hard to eat breakfast before a soccer game, you should try to drink a sports drink or smoothie or eat something really light like whole grain crackers, toast or a granola bar. 

Then when you get to the field you can have another light snack or sports drink in your gear bag to eat right before. Adding sports drinks and a halftime snack can also help. 

Check out our posts for soccer snack ideas and what to eat before a soccer game for some tips on foods to eat 30-60 minutes before match time.

Also, if you know you’ll have a hard time eating in the morning, make sure you have a hearty high carbohydrate meal the night before, followed by an evening snack before bedtime. This will help to keep your muscles fueled in addition to the tips above.

What should I do to hydrate before a morning game

As early as you can try to drink around 16-32 ounces of water. Then about an hour before game time, try to drink 8-10 ounces of water or a sports drink for an added top off of fuel, fluids and electrolytes.

Check out our post on optimal hydration planning for athletes.

Final thoughts

Eating the best breakfast before a soccer game is important, but it’s not enough. You need to eat well every day, not just on game day.

Your sports nutrition performance plan should include what to eat before, during and after a game, as well as on practice days and rest days.

The key is to eat enough carbohydrates to fill up your muscle glycogen, which is your main energy source for soccer. And you should also eat some protein and healthy fats to support your muscle growth and recovery.

But don’t forget to drink enough water and stay hydrated. Dehydration can impair your performance and increase your risk of injury.

If you want to learn more about how to eat for soccer success, check out our other posts. We have more tips and tricks on how to optimize your performance with nutrition.

Join our mailing list and get our FREE  Pre-Activity Fueling Guide.