Long-Distance Travel Negatively Affects Performance – and the New Champions League Format Makes It Worse

Analytics firm Kitman Labs analyzed data from 60,000 games using AI and concluded that travel distance is one of the most significant factors affecting match results.

A study focused on the Premier League revealed that for every additional 16,000 kilometers a team travels per season, its total points tally in the league drops by approximately three. And that's in the Premier League, where travel distances are relatively short.

Sleep cycles, nutrition, and biorhythms — the physical, mental, and behavioral changes a person experiences within 24 hours — are all disrupted when playing away games, especially in European competitions.

The new Champions League format is only making things worse. Players are not just fatigued by more matches, but also by longer travel hours. The total distance traveled by all clubs in this season’s Champions League has already surpassed 305,000 kilometers, more than in the previous two seasons combined.

This makes the Real Madrid vs. Atlético Madrid showdown in the knockout stage a blessing — both teams get a break from long-distance travel. Meanwhile, Barcelona and Benfica will have to fly to face each other, despite both clubs ranking in the top four for total travel distance in European competitions since 1992.

Published by Patrick Jane
06.03.2025