A qualitative study of understanding the stress landscape of Bangladeshi national football players

Athletes experience multiple sources of stress that can affect their well-being and performance. However, limited research has explored these stressors among football players in Bangladesh. This study aimed to explore the types and impacts of stress experienced by Bangladeshi national footballers. A qualitative study was conducted with eight national team football players (5 male, 3 female) aged 18–25, and two national team coaches (1 male, 1 female) were purposively sampled. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom, recorded with consent, and transcribed. Transcripts were analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. Three main themes of stressors emerged: social, organizational, and personal. Social stressors included gender norms, media-related pressure, and family and community expectations. Organizational stressors included training overload, injury, institutional constraints, restricted training environments, selection uncertainty, match-related pressure, and nutrition and accommodation issues. Personal stressors included family responsibilities, financial pressure, career uncertainty, and health- and fitness-related concerns. These stressors negatively affected players’ mental well-being, contributing to anxiety, emotional distress, reduced confidence, sleep disturbance, and poorer performance. Bangladeshi football players face a range of stressors at organizational, social, and personal levels. These findings highlight the importance of developing appropriate support systems, including psychological and stress-management interventions, to promote athlete well-being and performance.