Football (Soccer) Calorie Calculator

Estimate the calories you burn playing football using the MET method — calories = MET × body weight (kg) × hours — for casual games, competitive matches, and full World Cup-intensity play.

Quick Facts

Method
MET method: calories = MET × weight (kg) × hours
MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities: casual soccer 7.0, competitive 10.0.

Your Results

Calculated
Calories burned
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Total kcal for this session
Burn rate
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Calories per minute
Per hour
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Calories per hour at this intensity

Ready

Enter your weight, time, and intensity, then press Calculate.

About the Football (Soccer) Calorie Calculator

This calculator estimates how many calories you burn playing football (soccer) using the MET method — the same approach exercise physiologists use to convert an activity's intensity into energy expenditure. Enter your body weight, how long you played, and the intensity of the game, and it returns total calories, calories per minute, and calories per hour.

The formula

A MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) is a multiple of your resting metabolic rate. One MET is roughly the energy you burn sitting still. The core equation is:

Calories burned = MET × body weight (kg) × time (hours)

So a 75 kg player in a competitive match (10 METs) for 1.5 hours burns 10 × 75 × 1.5 = 1,125 kcal. If you enter weight in pounds, it is first converted to kilograms by dividing by 2.20462.

MET values for football

  • Casual kickabout / recreational — 7.0 METs. Relaxed, non-continuous play with frequent rest.
  • Competitive match — 10.0 METs. Organized 11-a-side football with sustained running.
  • Full-effort / World Cup-intensity match — ~10.3 METs. High-tempo elite play; outfielders cover 10–12 km in 90 minutes.

These values come from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities, the standard reference used by sports scientists and public-health researchers.

Why body weight matters

Calorie burn scales directly with body mass: a heavier body must move more weight, so it burns more energy at the same intensity and duration. Doubling body weight doubles the calorie estimate; halving the time played halves it. That linear relationship is why weight and time are the two most important inputs.

Benchmark examples

  • 60 kg player, 60 min, casual (7 MET): 7 × 60 × 1 = 420 kcal.
  • 75 kg player, 90 min, competitive (10 MET): 10 × 75 × 1.5 = 1,125 kcal.
  • 90 kg player, 45 min, competitive (10 MET): 10 × 90 × 0.75 = 675 kcal.

Frequently Asked Questions

What formula does this calculator use?
It uses the MET method: calories burned = MET × body weight in kilograms × time in hours. Casual soccer is about 7 METs, competitive play about 10 METs, and a full-effort match roughly 10.3 METs. Pounds are converted to kilograms by dividing by 2.20462.
How many calories does a 90-minute match burn?
For a 75 kg (165 lb) player at a competitive intensity of 10 METs over 90 minutes (1.5 hours), the estimate is 10 × 75 × 1.5 = 1,125 kcal. Because the result is proportional to body weight, a 60 kg player in the same match burns about 900 kcal and a 90 kg player about 1,350 kcal.
Do goalkeepers burn the same as outfield players?
No. Goalkeepers cover far less distance and spend most of the match at low intensity, so their effective MET value is closer to recreational levels (around 5–6 METs) rather than the 10 METs of a running outfielder. Use the casual setting, or a shorter effective time, to approximate a goalkeeper's burn.
Why does the MET method not ask for my age or heart rate?
The MET method is a population-average model driven mainly by body mass, intensity, and duration. It does not require age, sex, or heart rate, which keeps it simple and transparent. If you want a more individualized estimate, a heart-rate monitor or metabolic cart accounts for personal fitness and cardiovascular response that the MET method averages out.

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