Calories Burned Playing competitive soccer at 55 kg — 550 kcal per Hour
Playing competitive soccer at 55 kg (110-132 lb) burns about 550 kcal per hour. That figure comes from the activity's MET value of 10.0 in the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities, multiplied by body weight: 10.0 × 55 kg × 1 hour = 550 kcal. This page works the numbers out in full — for 15, 30, 45, 60 and 90 minutes, across all four weight bands, and against four comparable activities at the same weight — so you can plan sessions with real figures instead of guessing.
Competitive soccer means an organised match — a league game, a cup tie or a serious friendly — played at full pace for 90 minutes, with a referee, fixed positions and players who are expected to run for the whole game. The Compendium gives it 10.0 METs, one of the highest values for any team sport, and that reflects what match tracking shows: outfield players cover 9 to 11 kilometres in a game, much of it at high speed.
At 55 kg that means 550 kcal per hour, or roughly 825 kcal for a full 90-minute match. It is a serious workout by any measure — comparable to a hard martial-arts session — and it explains why professional players eat so much. But it also describes a full match at full effort, and a player who spends most of the game walking will burn far less than the figure suggests.
Calculate your own numbers
Use the Calorie calculator to work out your own burn for playing competitive soccer at your exact weight and session length. Enter your weight, pick the activity and set the duration, and the tool applies the same MET formula shown below. You can also try the running calorie calculator to see how this session fits into your total daily energy use.
Related pages in this section:
Calories Burned Playing competitive soccer at 65 kg — 650 kcal per Hour
Calories Burned Playing competitive soccer at 75 kg — 750 kcal per Hour
Calories Burned Playing competitive soccer at 85 kg — 850 kcal per Hour
The formula, shown and cited
The standard way to estimate the energy cost of an activity is the MET formula from the Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al., Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011; 43(8): 1575–1581):
Calories (kcal) = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours)
One MET is the energy you use sitting quietly at rest — about 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. An activity rated at 10.0 METs therefore uses 10.0 times as much energy as resting. The Compendium's MET values come from published studies that measured oxygen use during each activity, so they are measured averages, not guesses. The value used here is the one recorded for this activity in the FitCalc activity data, taken from the Compendium.
Worked through for this page:
- MET for playing competitive soccer: 10.0
- Body weight: 55 kg (the midpoint of the 50-60 kg band, 110-132 lb)
- Duration: 1 hour
- Calculation: 10.0 × 55 × 1 = 550 kcal
For a 30-minute session the same calculation is 10.0 × 55 × 0.5 = 275 kcal. Nothing else is hidden in the maths — if your weight or duration changes, only those two numbers change.
Your numbers at 55 kg
| Duration | Calculation | Calories burned |
|---|---|---|
| 15 minutes | 10.0 × 55 × 0.25 | 138 kcal |
| 30 minutes | 10.0 × 55 × 0.5 | 275 kcal |
| 45 minutes | 10.0 × 55 × 0.75 | 412 kcal |
| 60 minutes | 10.0 × 55 × 1 | 550 kcal |
| 90 minutes | 10.0 × 55 × 1.5 | 825 kcal |
That is about 9.2 kcal per minute of playing competitive soccer at this weight. A short session still counts: even 15 minutes burns 138 kcal, and three 15-minute sessions across a day add up to the same 412 kcal as one 45-minute session.
How the burn changes with body weight
The MET value stays the same — it describes the activity, not the person — but the calorie total scales with weight, because a heavier body costs more energy to move:
| Body weight | Calories per hour | Calories per 30 minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 55 kg | 550 kcal | 275 kcal |
| 65 kg | 650 kcal | 325 kcal |
| 75 kg | 750 kcal | 375 kcal |
| 85 kg | 850 kcal | 425 kcal |
Two people doing the same activity for the same time can therefore burn quite different amounts, and that is expected — it is physics, not a mistake in the formula. If your weight sits between two rows, your figure sits between the two values.
How playing competitive soccer compares
Here is playing competitive soccer against four other activities at the same 55 kg, all using the same MET formula:
| Activity | MET | Calories per hour at 55 kg |
|---|---|---|
| Playing competitive soccer | 10.0 | 550 kcal |
| Martial arts | 10.3 | 566 kcal |
| Playing water polo | 10.0 | 550 kcal |
| Cycling at a vigorous effort (14-15.9 mph) | 10.0 | 550 kcal |
| Running at 6 mph | 9.8 | 539 kcal |
Use this table to choose, not to judge. A higher number means a harder session, not a better one: the activity you enjoy and repeat three times a week beats the activity that burns more per hour but that you quit after a fortnight. Mixing intensities across the week — one harder session, two easier ones — is usually more sustainable than doing the hardest activity every time.
Fitting playing competitive soccer into your week
| Sessions per week | 30 minutes each | 60 minutes each |
|---|---|---|
| 2 sessions | 550 kcal | 1100 kcal |
| 3 sessions | 825 kcal | 1650 kcal |
| 5 sessions | 1375 kcal | 2750 kcal |
A competitive match lasts 90 minutes plus stoppage time, played at full pace on a full-size pitch, with fixed positions and limited substitutions. At 10.0 METs, playing competitive soccer counts as vigorous activity, so it contributes directly towards the widely used target of 150 minutes of moderate activity a week for adults. To burn 500 kcal from playing competitive soccer alone takes about 55 minutes at 55 kg, and 1,000 kcal takes about 109 minutes — spread across the week, that is far more realistic than trying to do it in one session. Build up gradually — add 10% to your weekly total at most, and keep at least one rest day.
How to use the result
What changes the burn for playing competitive soccer in practice:
- Your position: central midfielders cover the most distance, full-backs sprint the most, and goalkeepers burn far less than outfield players.
- The level of the game: higher-level matches are faster, with less time standing still and more high-speed running.
- The scoreline: a close game stays intense to the end, while a one-sided game often slows down in the second half.
- Substitutions: a player replaced at half-time burns roughly half the match total, and the MET figure applies only to minutes actually played.
Practical tips for this activity:
- Eat a carbohydrate-rich meal two to three hours before kick-off — a 90-minute match at 55 kg costs about 825 kcal, and you will feel it if you start on empty.
- Warm up with the team, including short sprints: match injuries cluster in the opening minutes, when players go from standing to sprinting.
- Drink at half-time and whenever play stops; you can lose a litre of sweat or more in a hard match.
- Recover with food and sleep, not just rest: a competitive match is a major training load, and playing again the next day without recovery is how strains happen.
Use the numbers on this page to set realistic expectations rather than to chase a daily total. If you are tracking food as well, add the session's calories to your total daily energy expenditure for that day, and remember that the figure is an estimate with roughly 10–20% uncertainty. Do not eat back every calorie the calculator shows: activity trackers and MET estimates both tend to overstate slightly, and a small margin keeps a weight-loss plan on track. If you are aiming to lose weight, keep the deficit modest — 300–500 kcal a day is a common, sustainable range — and keep your total intake above the safety floors of 1,200 kcal a day for women and 1,500 kcal a day for men unless a healthcare professional advises otherwise.
A note at 55 kg
At 55 kg you sit at the lighter end of the four weight bands on this site, and that shapes how the numbers feel in practice. Your absolute burn is the lowest of the four bands — 550 kcal per hour here against 850 kcal at 85 kg — but your burn per kilogram of body weight is identical, because the MET formula is linear: every kilogram costs the same. In practical terms that means duration and frequency matter more for you than for a heavier person doing the same activity. Two 45-minute sessions will usually serve you better than one 90-minute session, because you accumulate the same total with less fatigue in each outing, and you are less likely to run into the joint and muscle soreness that long sessions cause. If you are tracking weight loss, remember that a smaller body also means a smaller total daily expenditure, so a 300–500 kcal deficit is a larger share of your day than it is for someone heavier — keep the deficit at the modest end of that range and let the activity do its work over weeks, not days.
What the number does NOT tell you
The MET formula is honest about what it measures and silent about the rest. It does not account for your fitness level: a fit person burns fewer calories doing the same activity than an unfit person, because their body is more efficient. It does not account for body composition — two people at 55 kg with different amounts of muscle and fat will burn slightly different amounts. It does not include the afterburn (excess post-exercise oxygen consumption) that follows hard sessions, it does not measure strength, flexibility or balance gained, and it says nothing about how the activity affects your appetite, sleep or mood. The 10.0 MET figure describes an outfield player in a full competitive match, and it is one of the least transferable numbers on this site: goalkeepers, substitutes and players in slow games burn far less, and the figure says nothing about the injury risk, which is high in competitive soccer — hamstring strains, ankle sprains and knee injuries are common. It also ignores the fitness needed to sustain the pace: an unfit player simply cannot maintain 10.0 METs for 90 minutes, and the real burn falls as fatigue forces walking. Use the calorie figure as a planning estimate, and judge the activity by how you feel doing it and whether you keep doing it.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories do I burn doing playing competitive soccer for 30 minutes at 55 kg?
About 275 kcal. The maths is 10.0 METs × 55 kg × 0.5 hours = 275 kcal. That is an estimate from the Compendium average — your real burn depends on your fitness, your pace and the conditions. If you weigh more or less than 55 kg, use the weight table above to read your own figure.
Is playing competitive soccer good for weight loss?
It can help, but only as part of an overall calorie deficit. At 55 kg, an hour of playing competitive soccer burns about 550 kcal, which is a useful contribution — roughly the energy in a modest meal — but weight loss still comes from the total balance of food and activity across the week, not from one session. Aim for a gradual loss of 0.5–1% of body weight per week, and never drop below 1,200 kcal a day (women) or 1,500 kcal a day (men) without medical supervision.
How does playing competitive soccer compare with martial arts?
At 55 kg, playing competitive soccer burns about 550 kcal per hour against 566 kcal for martial arts. If the number is higher, playing competitive soccer is the more intense activity; if it is lower, martial arts burns more. The best choice is usually the one you will actually do several times a week — consistency matters more than a small difference in the hourly rate.
Does the calorie burn change if I weigh more or less than 55 kg?
Yes, directly. Calories = MET × weight in kg × hours, so the burn scales with body weight. At 55 kg the same hour of playing competitive soccer burns about 550 kcal; at 85 kg it burns about 850 kcal. The MET value itself does not change with weight — it describes the intensity of the activity.
How many calories do I burn in a full 90-minute soccer match?
At 55 kg, about 825 kcal for 90 minutes of competitive soccer (10.0 METs × 55 kg × 1.5 hours). That is for an outfield player playing the full match — substitutes burn less, and goalkeepers burn far less. A casual 90-minute kickabout at the same weight burns about 578 kcal, so the competitive figure is roughly 40% higher.
Estimates only, not medical advice. Minimum safe intakes: 1,200 kcal/day women, 1,500 kcal/day men — consult a healthcare professional before a very-low-calorie diet.