5 Lessons for Physicians From the World Cup
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Like millions of soccer fans around the world, I was glued to many of the matches of the 2026 World Cup. The tournament reminded Americans of something the rest of the world has known for generations: Soccer is more than a game. It is a lesson in teamwork, preparation, leadership, discipline, and perhaps most importantly, resilience.
As I watched, I realized that many of the lessons players learn from the game are the same lessons doctors should be instilling in their practice of medicine. Below are the top five takeaways that clinicians should learn from the World Cup.
Be Ready for the Next Play
In soccer, mistakes are inevitable. A player who misses an easy goal has two choices: become distracted by the error or put it behind him and refocus on the next opportunity.
Medicine is similar. Physicians are trained to be accurate, yet we practice in an environment of uncertainty. The important question is not whether a physician will make a mistake, but how quickly they can recover.
So, perhaps the most important lesson from soccer to physicians is also the simplest: If you missed the shot, play the next play. If you lost possession, play the next play. In healthcare, this translates to: If you made a mistake, learn from it — and then play the next play. A great danger after a medical mistake is letting the first error lead to a second. Serious errors deserve scrutiny, honest communication, and corrective action.
No physician will have a perfect record over a lifetime of practice. We will occasionally make the wrong diagnosis, communicate poorly, overlook something, experience a complication, or wish we could change something we did.
Perfection is not the measure of a physician. The measure is the ability to learn, adapt, recover, and return to the healthcare field and be ready to care for the next patient.
Medicine Is a Team Sport
Another lesson from soccer is that it is a team sport. Even the greatest player cannot win a match alone.
Traditional medicine has sometimes portrayed the physician as the star. Modern medicine is different. The physician is one member of a larger team that may include nurses, medical assistants, pharmacists, therapists, technicians, social workers, administrators, and family members.
When something goes wrong, the reaction should not automatically be, “Who is to blame?” A better question is, “What happened and how can we prevent it from happening again?”
That shift from blaming to learning is characteristic of top-performing teams.
Soccer players constantly communicate. They point, call for the ball, warn teammates about opponents, and signal where they want a pass. Healthcare professionals need the same discipline.
A patient handoff without adequate communication can be dangerous. A nurse who notices a change in a patient’s condition needs to feel comfortable speaking up. A medical assistant who notices a medication discrepancy should question it. A resident should be able to tell an attending, “I am concerned.”
Good teams create psychological safety — an environment in which people can speak up without fear of embarrassment or retaliation. The goal is not to protect someone’s ego. It is to protect the patient.
Practice Before the Game
Professional soccer players do not wait until the finals to practice. They practice passing, shooting, positioning, conditioning, and responding to different situations until basic skills become automatic.
Physicians spend enormous amounts of time learning medical knowledge, yet relatively little time practicing the nonclinical skills that determine how effectively we deliver that knowledge.
A physician who rehearses difficult conversations is more likely to perform well when one occurs. A healthcare team that practices an emergency response is more likely to function effectively when a real emergency arrives.
Soccer and Leadership
The coach stands on the sidelines and cannot run onto the field and kick the ball. The coach prepares the team, establishes strategy, recognizes problems, modifies the plan, and puts the right people in the right positions.
Healthcare leaders should think similarly. A medical director, department chair, office manager, or physician leader cannot solve every problem personally. The leader’s responsibility is to create an environment in which the team can perform at its best through training, resources, feedback, accountability, and encouragement.
When something goes wrong, a good coach does not simply blame the player. The coach asks: What happened? What can we learn? What should we do differently next time?
That is leadership that motivates rather than intimidates.
The Scoreboard Isn’t the Whole Story
Another lesson for physicians: The scoreboard provides only one measure of performance.
A physician may provide excellent care and still have a poor outcome. Outcomes are not always a perfect measure of quality.
Physicians should evaluate not only outcomes but also the process by which the care was delivered. Was the appropriate information obtained? Were reasonable alternatives considered? Was the patient involved in the decision? Did the team communicate effectively? Did we follow the best available evidence and guidelines?
Online reviews, patient satisfaction surveys, and other metrics can provide useful information, but don’t tell the whole story.
Bottom Line
Medicine, like soccer, is a game of the next play. Mistakes, complications, and disappointing outcomes are inevitable. What distinguishes a resilient physician is not the lack of mistakes but the ability to acknowledge them, learn from them, and refocus on the next patient. Learn from the last play — but don’t let it determine the next one.
Neil Baum, MD, is a urologist in New Orleans, the corporate medical officer of Vanguard Communications, adjunct professor of clinical urology at the Tulane University School of Medicine, and the author of Marketing Your Clinical Practice: Ethically, Effectively, Economically, 4th Edition.
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