Exploring confidence factors in University soccer athletes in South Korea: pre-match, in game, and post-competition phases
Download this article Sejin Park */** and Ye Hoon Lee ***
(*) Graduate School of Global Sports, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Republic of Korea
(**) Department of Sport Analytics and Technologies, Loughborough University, United Kingdom
(***) Division of Global Sport Industry, Hankuk University of Foreign, Studies, Republic of Korea
Citation
Park, S., Hoon Lee, Y. (2026). Exploring confidence factors in University soccer athletes in South Korea: pre-match, in game, and post-competition phases. International Journal of Sport Psychology, 57(2), 91-112. doi:10.7352/IJSP.2026.57.091
Abstract
Self-confidence is an important psychological factor in sports performance; yet its variations across competitive situations remain underexplored. This study investigated confidence formation in university soccer players in three game situations: pre-match, in-game, and post-match. Interviews with 20 players revealed significant antecedents to self-confidence (e.g., preparation, perceived social support, perceived competence, psychological strategy, vicarious experiences, and rituals and routines). The findings reveal that confidence is highly dynamic, with various influencing factors across competitive situations. Pre-match confidence was built upon preparation and anticipatory psychological strategies, whereas in-game confidence was determined by real-time performance, team dynamics, and reinforcement. Post-match confidence was influenced by performance reflection, feedback, and self-evaluation. These findings highlight the importance of phase-specific confidence-building strategies, providing theoretical contributions to the field of confidence development and practical implications for coaches, sport psychologists, and athlete development programs to optimize psychological interventions and thereby enhance performance in competitive soccer.
Keywords: Coping, Self-Confidence, Situational, Sport Psychology, Soccer.