The pre-match warm-up in football

How to structure your team's pre-match warm-up: duration, intensity, the order of the phases — the complete method, free to read.

Thibaud C. · Fitness coach · Last updated: September 26, 2026

The pre-match warm-up is a performance lever that gets neglected far too often. Done well, it prepares the body and the mind for the intensity of the match and reduces injury risk. Here's the essentials, a timed template, and where to start.

What to take away

A good warm-up has two aims: preparing for performance and reducing injury risk. The first objective remains raising muscle temperature by 2 to 3 degrees — and that's where many amateur habits are counterproductive. Very slow jogging, ballistic movements and passive stretching, covered at the start of this course, don't warm the muscles: start instead with the "Russian" warm-up (contract then release firmly, from the bottom up), then move on to running drills, proprioception, ball work and rising intensity.

Two principles govern the rest. The warm-up depends on what follows: longer and deeper before speed work (high risk), lighter before endurance. And it consists of a general phase (fairly stable, which you vary a little) and a specific phase matched to the session or the match.

The 25-minute pre-match template

A simple structure, set against kick-off time rather than the time you arrive at the ground:

• T-25: raising temperature (5 min). "Russian" warm-up — contract then release, from the calves up to the shoulders — then a few joint mobility movements. No slow jogging.
• T-20: running drills and footwork (5 min). Heel flicks, high knees, side steps, a few proprioception touches. You build the range of movement gradually.
• T-15: ball work at normal intensity (5 min). Passing in pairs, then a calm keep-ball to find the feel of the ball and the passing rhythm.
• T-10: sharpness and accelerations (5 min). Two or three short sets: quick feet, changes of direction, accelerations over ten to fifteen metres, with recovery between each.
• T-5: match intensity (3 min). A final keep-ball at a high tempo, or a finishing situation. You finish warm, not out of breath.
• T-2: final words and out. Two minutes of last instructions, no more.

If the pre-match protocol forces you back into the dressing room, keep two or three accelerations for just before you walk out: that's what makes up for the lost time.

From your very next session

• Never start with 20 minutes of slow jogging again: open with a few minutes of "Russian" warm-up, from the lower body upwards.
• Pick 5 to 7 exercises respecting the order of the phases, and build the intensity gradually.
• Always finish with 2 or 3 short, intense actions (accelerations, quick feet) so you reach kick-off already "warm".
• Save prolonged static stretching for after the session, never right before the effort.

To go further, the detailed preventive warm-up (the "11+") and targeted strengthening are in the Injury prevention course, and the cool-down after the effort in the Recovery course.