Effects of acute caffeine ingestion on sport-specific skills, physical performance, on-field competition performance, and perceived fatigue in team sport athletes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract

Background Caffeine is widely used by team-sport athletes, but its effects across sport-specific skills, physical performance, on-field competition performance, and perceived fatigue remain unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis assessed acute caffeine effects across these four domains. Methods Following PRISMA 2020 and a preregistered protocol (OSF: 10.17605/OSF.IO/2BZ86), PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and Embase were searched through April 29, 2026 for randomized crossover trials in team-sport athletes. Outcomes were categorized into 17 outcome categories within four domains. Independent standardized mean differences were pooled using three-level random-effects models; paired standardized mean changes were used for sensitivity analyses. Prespecified three-level mixed-effects meta-regression examined caffeine dose, formulation, sport type, sex, and training level, with CR2 cluster-robust inference, Satterthwaite degrees of freedom, HTZ small-sample correction, and Benjamini-Hochberg adjustment. Formal analyses required at least five studies per moderator level; subgroups supported by fewer than five studies were considered exploratory only. Results Ninety-seven studies (1,516 athletes) were included. Pooled analyses showed significant effects of caffeine on upper-limb technical skills (g = 0.25), match-play physical performance (g = 0.23), sprint time (g = −0.34), repeated sprint ability (g = −0.34), agility (g = −0.34), single jump (g = 0.29), muscle strength (g = 0.20), and power output (g = 0.33; all p < 0.05). No significant pooled effects were found for lower-limb technical skills, match-play technical performance, endurance-related outcomes, or perceived fatigue. After global correction, no omnibus moderator effect remained significant in the primary analysis. Moderator levels supported by fewer than five unique studies were considered exploratory only. No subgroup pattern was interpreted as evidence of effect modification or as supporting definitive moderator conclusions. Sensitivity analyses were generally consistent with the primary results; time to fatigue became significant only under the extreme correlation assumption (r_pair = 0.80). Conclusion Acute caffeine ingestion showed significant pooled effects on selected upper-limb technical skills and several physical performance outcomes; however, no significant pooled effects were found for lower-limb technical skills, match-play technical performance, endurance-related outcomes, or perceived fatigue, and the related evidence remains insufficient to draw definitive conclusions. In addition, no omnibus moderator effect remained significant after global correction. Current evidence is therefore insufficient to determine an optimal acute caffeine supplementation protocol or support individualized recommendations for team-sport athletes. Systematic review registration https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/2BZ86 .

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Frontiers in Nutrition, 2026 · DOI ↗