How Many Miles Does a Soccer Player Run During the World Cup?

The first day of the 2026 FIFA World Cup—the biggest in FIFA’s 96-year history—kicked off in Mexico City on June 11. The World Cup is regarded as the most-watched sporting event on the planet. This tournament is expected to garner more than 5 billion views over 39 days, with its final match scheduled for July 19.

These elite soccer players, from a record 48 teams competing in 104 matches, will, for five-and-a-half weeks, push their bodies to the limit. But to what degree and just how much ground does an elite soccer player cover during a World Cup tournament from start to finish—if they make it to the final match?

We did the math and put the numbers in a context runners and outdoor adventurers love: marathons and half marathons completed, total miles, steps, and distance traveled (plus, FIFA field lengths just for fun). Here’s what we came up with.

How We Did the Math

First, we needed to determine how far a player runs in any given match. But in the interest of time and because we’re not math geniuses, we narrowed our focus to one type of player rather than every player in any position. So, we based the following calculations on the average distance a midfielder traverses during a soccer match. Why a midfielder? Because a 2021 study examining the physical output of each position in the sport found that midfielders, who keep the ball moving across the field, not only run the greatest distance but also do so at the highest intensity compared to strikers (whose main objective is to score a goal), central defenders (who guard their team’s goal), and, of course, goalies. The researchers of the study determined that central midfielders run an average of 11.66 kilometers, or 7.25 miles per match. We’ll call it 7 to keep the numbers neat.

If a central midfielder makes it to the final match, that would mean they made it through the Group Stage, Round of 32, Round of 16, Quarter Finals, and Semi-Finals. We expect the players on the 2026 winning team will have played up to 8 matches (rather than the traditional 7 matches) due to the increase in teams competing in this year’s tournament. (There are 48 teams competing rather than the usual 32).

Miles and Feet Covered

By the time our central midfielder and their team are holding the trophy, they will have run an average of 7 miles over the course of 8 matches. That’s around 56 miles or 295,680 feet.

Ultramarathons, Marathons, and Half-Marathons Completed

Because a marathon and a half-marathon are a little over 26 miles long and 13 miles, respectively, the central midfielder would have logged a little more than two marathons and just over four half-marathons.

The Glasgow to Edinburgh (G2E) Ultramarathon in Scotland is 56 miles. So, in the World Cup matches alone, a winning midfielder would have run the length of one ultra. (Click here to look at the map of the G2E route to see just how far that is.)

Number of FIFA Fields Lengths Traversed

According to FIFA, the field dimensions of a typical playing field are 105 meters by 68 meters; that’s roughly 345 feet long and 223 feet wide. If they run a distance of about 295,680 feet during a tournament, that’s the equivalent of running back and forth the length of a FIFA field a whopping 857 times.

Total Distance Covered Since 2025 World Cup Qualifying Matches

Let’s take legendary midfielder Luka Modrić of Croatia, for example. In the year leading up to the 2026 World Cup, according to ESPN, Croatia played 8 World Cup qualifying matches and 2 international friendlies. That’s a total of ten matches since June 2025. For the sake of simplicity, we’ll assume he played in all those matches. So, if Modrić makes it to the final match in this year’s tournament, he will have competed in 18 matches.

The distance he will have covered is like running 126 miles, nearly 5 marathons, roughly 10 half-marathons, or the length of 1,928 FIFA fields.

Distance Traveled

To get a better sense of how much ground a midfielder covers. The distance between Denver and Colorado Springs is about 70 miles; to log 126 miles is like running or walking from Denver to Colorado Springs and back. Long Island is approximately 118 miles wide, so imagine walking from one end of the Island to the other, then running a 10K. That 126-mile distance is also equivalent to a little less than half of the length of the Grand Canyon, which is 277 miles long.

Soccer players are logging some serious overall mileage and aerobic output. And they’re doing all of this while defending their goal, kicking the ball, falling (and getting back up), and sliding across the field. All that said—we’re thoroughly impressed.

Are you tuning in to the 2026 World Cup? If so, let us know who you’re rooting for in the comments.