Months of football rivalries, club loyalties and the highs and heartbreaks of the FIFA World Cup turned the sport into a daily routine for many fans. But with the tournament now over, supporters are adjusting to the sudden absence of late-night matches and the emotional highs that came with every game.
In India, where several World Cup matches kicked off around and after midnight, fans often traded sleep for more than 90 minutes of high-stakes football, with half-time breaks and hydration stoppages adding to the late nights. After weeks of disrupted sleep and emotional highs and lows, the impact can stretch well into the days after the tournament ends
The match is a social occasion for some fans, while for others, the team they support is attached to their loyalties. This emotional investment can manifest physically too. “Many fans develop a deep psychological connection with their team, often making it a part of their identity. During a high-stakes match like the World Cup final, the brain can process crucial moments as though the individual is personally competing. This triggers the ‘fight-or-flight’ response, releasing stress hormones,” says Dr Sapare Rohit, consultant psychiatrist, Maarga Mind Care.
That is why a missed chance or a last-minute goal leaves a fan with a racing heart, sweaty palms, muscle tension or even stomach discomfort. The result’s uncertainty and the constant anticipation keeps the body in a state of heightened alertness. Namratha Vijaykumar, psychologist (clinical) and life and leadership coach, says the impact of a late-night match depends heavily on fan identity. “Ultra-committed fans who mirror the rigid routines and intense emotional stakes of the players experience acute cortisol spikes. Casual fans, who watch primarily for social connection, navigate a lighter emotional landscape,” she adds.
With the final spilling into Monday morning, the lost sleep could make the return to work harder. A night of poor sleep can impact mood, attention, decision-making and productivity the following day, and when this is combined with the emotional excitement or disappointment of a high-stakes match, fans may wake up feeling mentally fatigued and emotionally reactive, says Rohit. Replaying missed opportunities, getting drawn into negative debates or consuming backlash for the team on social media can prolong disappointment. Warning signs of intense fandom, however, includes displaced anger with the result dictating ones mood for days, causing irritability in road rage, hooliganism or outbursts towards dear and near ones; disorientation and disconnection from reality with dread or a drip in work productivity days before the game starts; and identity confusion with the team’s defeat feeling like a personal failure.
That does not mean fans need to detach from the sport altogether. The emotional connection is part of what makes fandom meaningful. The concern begins when the result starts affecting the rest of a person’s life. “Watch for signs like feeling down, getting angry, not fulfilling obligations, or thinking your self-worth is only tied to the team’s success. In these situations, it might be useful to step back and get some perspective, and to take a break from sports content, at least temporarily,” says Rohit. While, Vijaykumar adds that the key after a painful defeat is not to deny the disappointment, but to give it boundaries. She recommends a strict ‘24-hour rule’, allowing fans a window to vent the frustration before making a comeback to a predictable routine.
* Prioritise workday. Do only the most critical tasks and defer heavy, complex projects.
* Take a 15-minute break or guided body scan at your desk to lower nervous system arousal.
* Double water intake and take a 10-minute walk in natural sunlight to realign the body clock resulting in cortisol flushout.
* Get adequate sleep the following night and avoid further sleep deprivation.
* Limit excessive caffeine to compensate for poor sleep