While research around sports and brain impacts has tended to focus on American football, soccer players may be at risk as well.
Retired professional soccer players show signs of potential neurological impacts in midlife, according to new research.
As the World Cup heads toward the finals, the study presented at the July 2026 Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in London turns toward a sport that has not been researched as fully as tackle football. This initial research suggests that neurological symptoms may be evident in soccer players earlier than many people expect.
Former professional players were more likely to report anxiety, depression, and problems with thinking or decision-making compared to people who had not played contact sports, according to the abstract, which presents initial findings and has not yet been submitted to a journal.
“We don’t know if this is something that’s due to playing soccer for a long time and those repetitive head impacts, or is it something that is intrinsically different for people who decide to player soccer professionally and who are good at soccer,” said lead study author Caleigh Lynch, a research technician at Imperial College London and the UK Dementia Research Institute Centre for Care Research & Technology.
