High-speed distances during congested and non-congested periods in professional footballers with elevated match exposure

Purpose Despite the rationale associated with performance decrements during congested periods, the impact on high-velocity running efforts in football remains unclear. This study aimed to compare the performance of high-speed distances during consecutive matches of congested and non-congested fixture periods, in professional football players. Methods Twenty-two football players from a Portuguese male professional football team involved in sequences of two to four matches from two seasons (2022–2023 and 2023–2024), with a minimum participation of 70 minutes for each player, were analysed. Metrics included were high-speed running, sprint, distances above 80 and 90% of maximum velocity in meters per minute, compared between and within matches for the full match, first and second halves. Results No significant differences in meters per minutes across the different high-speed distance metrics could be attributed to consecutive match participation across all variables (p \(\:\ge\:\) 0.079). Conclusion High-speed running performance was not influenced by fixture congestion, suggesting that alternative metrics may be required to detect potential effects of congested schedules in professional football.