Acute caffeine supplementation and live match-play performance in team-sports: A systematic review (2000–2021)

Figures & data

Table 1. Search criteria as conducted in the PubMed database

(“Caffeine“[MeSH Terms] OR “Coffee“[MeSH Terms] OR “Energy Drinks“[MeSH Terms] OR “Caffeine“[Text Word] OR “caffeinated“[Text Word] OR “coffee*“[Text Word] OR “energy drink*“[Text Word]) AND (“Dietary Supplements“[MeSH Terms] OR “Performance-Enhancing Substances“[MeSH Terms] OR “supplement*“[Text Word] OR “supplementation“[Text Word] OR “ergogenic aid*”[Text Word]) AND (”Basketball”[MeSH Terms] OR ”Football”[MeSH Terms] OR ”Soccer”[MeSH Terms] OR ”Hockey”[MeSH Terms] OR ”basketball*”[Text Word] OR ”football*”[Text Word] OR ”rugby”[Text Word] OR ”Soccer”[Text Word] OR ”Hockey”[Text Word] OR ”handball*”[Text Word] OR ”netball*”[Text Word])

Figure 1. Flow diagram of the search and study selection process following the Preferred.

Table 2. Summary of studies included in the systematic review on acute caffeine supplementation and match-play performance in high-performance team-sports

Reference (Study design)	Participant profile	Supplementation strategy	Caffeine format	Control	Performance assessment
Muniz Guttierres et al. (2013) (RDB)	20 elite soccer players (age: 16.1 ± 0.7 years) (sex: N/A)	250 mg/L^−1 20 min before match. 5 mL·kg^−1 every 15 min of match. Average intake: 7.2 mg·kg^−1	Caffeinated sports drink	Carbohydrate drink (7% carbohydrate)	2 x full (90 min) soccer games with 48-hour interval in between
Pettersen et al. (2014) (RDB)	22 male regional or national-level Soccer athletes (age: 17.6 ± 1.1 years)	6 mg·kg^−1 50 min before warm-ups	Gelatin capsule with caffeine	Identical capsule with dextrose	2 x in-season matches separated by 7 days
Del Coso et al. (2012) (RDB)	19 semi-professional Soccer athletes (age: of 21 ± 2 years) (sex: N/A)	3 mg·kg^−1 60 min before testing	Caffeine drink (sugar-free Red Bull®)	Control drink (sugar-free decaffeinated Pepsi®)	2 x 40 min games
Del Coso et al. (2013a) (RDB)	16 female Rugby athletes from Spain’s National Rugby Sevens team (age: 23 ± 2 years)	3 mg·kg^−1 60 min before competition	Caffeine energy drink (Fure, ProEnergetics,)	Same drink with no caffeine (placebo)	2 x competition days (Mon. & Thurs.): 3 matches per day
Del Coso et al. (2013b) (RDB)	26 male professional Rugby Union athletes (age: 25 ± 2 years)	3 mg·kg^−1 60 min before testing	Caffeine energy drink (Fure, ProEnergetics)	Same drink with no caffeine (placebo)	2 x 30 min games
Del Coso et al. (2016) (RDB)	13 male professional Field Hockey players (age: 23.2 ± 3.9 years)	3 mg·kg^−1 60 min before testing	Caffeine energy drink (Fure, ProEnergetics)	Same drink with no caffeine (placebo)	2 x 50 min games
Lara et al. (2014) (RDB)	18 female elite Soccer players (age: of 21 ± 2 years)	3 mg·kg^−1 60 min before testing	Caffeine energy drink (Fure, ProEnergetics)	Same drink with no caffeine (placebo)	2 x 40 min games
Madden et al. (2019) (RDB)	14 male collegiate Ice Hockey players (age 22.6 ± 0.4 years)	3 mg·kg^−1 60 min before testing	Gelatin capsule with caffeine	Identical placebo capsules (maltodextrin NF)	2 x scrimmages (3 x 8 min periods)
Muñoz et al. (2020) (RDB)	31 professional Handball players (age: 23.7 ± 2.8 years) (Females: 15)	3 mg·kg^−1 60 min before testing	Gelatin capsule with caffeine	Identical capsule with cellulose	2 x 40 min games
Portillo et al. (2017) (RDB) ‡	16 female athletes, Spain’s Rugby Sevens team (age: 23 ± 2 years)	3 mg·kg^−1 60 min before competition	Caffeine energy drink (Fure, ProEnergetics)	Same drink with no caffeine (placebo)	2 x competition days (Mon. & Thurs.): 3 matches per day
Puente et al. (2017) (RDB)	10 professional female (age: 27.9 ± 6.1 years) and 10 semi-professional male (27.1 ± 4.0 years) basketballers	3 mg·kg^−1 60 min before testing	Unidentifiable caffeine capsule	Identical capsule with cellulose	2 x 20 min games
Puente et al. (2018) (RDB) †	19 elite basketballers (age: 28.1 ± 4.75 years) (Females: 9)	3 mg·kg^−1 60 min before testing	Unidentifiable caffeine capsule	Identical capsule with cellulose	2 x 20 min games
Raya-González et al. (2021) (RDB)#	14 professional male basketballers (age: 21 ± 2 years)	6 mg·kg^−1 60 min before testing	Caffeine in 250 mL of water	Placebo (sucrose) in 250 mL of water	2 x games (3 x 7 min periods)

Key – N/A: Not Available; RDB: randomised double-blinded study; ‡: secondary analysis of (Del Coso et al., 2013); †: sub-analysis of (Puente et al., 2017); #: not presently available to public [data/ manuscript retrieved from authors directly].

Table 3. Effects of acute caffeine supplementation on physiological measures during match-play in high-performance team-sports

Reference	Outcome measure (units)	Control (mean ± SD)	Caffeine (mean ± SD)	Mean difference (∆ ± pooled SD)	Cohen’s d	Effect size	Direction of effect	p-value
Muniz Guttierres et al., 2013	Mean heart rate (b·min^−1)	154.00 ± 8.90	158.00 ± 8.20	4.00 ± 8.55	0.47	small	favours caffeine	N/A
		Blood glucose (mg·dL^−1) [post-first half]	143.00 ± N/A	163.00 ± N/A	20.00 ± N/A	N/A	N/A	favours caffeine	0.01*
		Blood glucose (mg·dL^−1) [post-second half]	124.00 ± N/A	131.00 ± N/A	7.00 ± N/A	N/A	N/A	favours caffeine	0.87
		Blood lactate (mmol·L^−1) [post-first half]	3.90 ± N/A	5.10 ± N/A	1.20 ± N/A	N/A	N/A	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Blood lactate (mmol·L^−1) [post-second half]	3.20 ± N/A	4.90 ± N/A	1.70 ± N/A	N/A	N/A	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
Pettersen et al., 2014	Mean Heart Rate (b·min^−1)	168.00 ± 8.00	166.00 ± 11.00	−2.00 ± 9.50	−0.21	small	favours placebo	0.67
		Peak Heart Rate (b·min^−1)	192.00 ± 5.00	192.00 ± 8.00	0.00 ± 6.50	0.00	no effect	no effect	> 0.05
		Weight loss (kg^−1) §	1.20 ± 0.60	1.20 ± 0.60	0.00 ± 0.60	0.00	no effect	no effect	> 0.05
		Blood glucose (mmol·L^−1) [post-first half]	6.30 ± 1.60	7.50 ± 2.10	1.20 ± 1.85	0.65	moderate	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Blood glucose (mmol·L^−1) [post-second half]	5.40 ± 0.40	6.10 ± 0.70	0.70 ± 0.55	1.27	large	favours caffeine	0.07
		Blood lactate (mmol·L^−1) [post-first half]	6.10 ± 3.60	7.90 ± 4.80	1.80 ± 4.20	0.43	small	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Blood lactate (mmol·L^−1) [post-second half]	5.70 ± 2.90	5.50 ± 2.60	−0.20 ± 2.75	−0.07	trivial	favours placebo	> 0.05
Del Coso et al., 2012	Mean heart rate (b·min^−1)	161.00 ± 12.00	160.00 ± 10.00	−1.00 ± 11.00	−0.09	trivial	favours placebo	> 0.05
		Peak heart rate (b·min^−1)	197.00 ± 12.00	196.00 ± 7.00	−1.00 ± 9.50	−0.11	trivial	favours placebo	> 0.05
		Sweat rate (L·h^−1) [during match]	1.00 ± 0.30	1.10 ± 0.30	0.10 ± 0.30	0.33	small	favours caffeine	> 0.05
Del Coso et al., 2013	Mean heart rate (b·min^−1)	164.00 ± 4.00	168.00 ± 7.00	4.00 ± 5.50	0.73	moderate	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Peak heart rate (b·min^−1)	188.00 ± 9.00	189.00 ± 10.00	1.00 ± 9.50	0.11	trivial	favours caffeine	0.62
		Sweat rate (L·h^−1)	1.40 ± 0.50	1.40 ± 0.30	0.00 ± 0.40	0.00	no effect	no effect	0.99
		Dehydration level (%) [post-match]	0.60 ± 0.60	0.50 ± 0.50	−0.10 ± 0.55	−0.18	trivial	favours placebo	0.67
Del Coso et al., 2013	Peak heart rate (b·min^−1)	185.00 ± 12.00	189.00 ± 12.00	4.00 ± 12.00	0.33	small	favours caffeine	0.92
		Mean heart rate (b·min^−1)	145.00 ± 8.00	151.00 ± 11.00	6.00 ± 9.50	0.63	moderate	favours caffeine	0.19
		Sweat rate (L·h^−1) [during match]	1.80 ± 0.60	1.80 ± 0.80	0.00 ± 0.70	0.00	no effect	no effect	> 0.05
		Dehydration level (%) [post-match]	1.30 ± 0.60	1.30 ± 0.90	0.00 ± 0.75	0.00	no effect	no effect	> 0.05
Del Coso et al., 2016	Peak heart rate (b·min^−1) [first half]	181.00 ± 9.00	185.00 ± 11.00	4.00 ± 10.00	0.40	small	favours caffeine	0.03*
		Peak heart rate (b·min^−1) [second half]	190.00 ± 9.00	187.00 ± 11.00	−3.00 ± 10.00	−0.30	small	favours placebo	0.44
		Mean heart rate (b·min^−1) [first half]	154.00 ± 14.00	158.00 ± 16.00	4.00 ± 15.00	0.27	small	favours caffeine	0.34
		Mean heart rate (b·min^−1) [second half]	156.00 ± 13.00	158.00 ± 20.00	2.00 ± 16.50	0.12	trivial	favours caffeine	0.60
		Sweat rate (L·h^−1) [during match]	1.00 ± 0.30	0.90 ± 0.40	−0.10 ± 0.35	−0.29	small	favours placebo	0.30
		Dehydration level (%) [post-match]	−0.10 ± 0.70	−0.20 ± 0.80	0.10 ± 0.75	0.13	trivial	favours caffeine	0.50
Lara et al., 2014	Mean heart rate (b·min^−1)	152.00 ± 13.00	158.00 ± 12.00	6.00 ± 12.50	0.48	small	favours caffeine	0.10
		Peak heart rate (b·min^−1)	182.00 ± 6.00	186.00 ± 5.00	4.00 ± 5.50	0.73	moderate	favours caffeine	0.16
		Dehydration level (%) [post-match]	0.20 ± 0.80	0.20 ± 0.80	0.00 ± 0.80	0.00	no effect	no effect	0.86
		Sweat rate (L·h^−1) [during match]	0.60 ± 0.10	0.50 ± 0.10	−0.10 ± 0.10	−1.00	moderate	favours placebo	0.47
Puente et al., 2017	Mean heart rate (b·min^−1)	157.00 ± 13.00	161.00 ± 10.00	4.00 ± 11.50	0.35	small	favours caffeine	0.30
		Peak heart rate (b·min^−1)	185.00 ± 12.00	188.00 ± 10.00	3.00 ± 11.00	0.27	small	favours caffeine	0.50
Puente et al., 2018 †	Mean heart rate (b·min^−1) [AA homozygotes]	158.00 ± 9.00	160.00 ± 10.00	2.00 ± 9.50	0.21	small	favours caffeine	0.72
		Mean heart rate (b·min^−1) [C-allele carriers]	161.00 ± 13.00	163.00 ± 9.00	2.00 ± 11.00	0.18	trivial	favours caffeine	0.82
		Peak heart rate (b·min^−1) [AA homozygotes]	187.00 ± 12.00	188.00 ± 13.00	1.00 ± 12.50	0.08	trivial	favours caffeine	0.22
		Peak heart rate (b·min^−1) [C-allele carriers]	182.00 ± 7.00	185.00 ± 6.00	3.00 ± 6.50	0.46	small	favours caffeine	0.46

Key – N/A: Not Available; * = significant difference (p < 0.05); ∆: mean difference = CAFFEINE – CONTROL; † = sub-analysis of (Puente et al., 2017); § weight loss was not different, but caffeine group consumed 0.5 ± 0.4 L more fluid compared to placebo group (p < 0.05) (Pettersen et al., 2014).

Table 4. Effects of acute caffeine supplementation on technical-skill performance during match-play in high-performance team-sports

Reference	Outcome measure (units)	Control mean ± SD	Caffeine mean ± SD	Mean difference ∆ ± pooled SD	Cohen’s d	Effect size	Direction of effect	p-value
Portillo et al., 2017 ‡	Tackle frequency (count·min^−1)	0.25 ± 0.12	0.17 ± 0.09	−0.08 ± 0.11	−0.76	moderate	favours placebo	0.14
		Ruck frequency (count·min^−1)	0.27 ± 0.13	0.24 ± 0.10	−0.03 ± 0.12	−0.26	small	favours placebo	0.62
		Pass frequency (count·min^−1)	0.34 ± 0.25	0.34 ± 0.11	0.00 ± 0.18	0.00	no effect	no effect	0.84
		Pass receive frequency (count·min^−1)	0.32 ± 0.18	0.29 ± 0.12	−0.03 ± 0.15	−0.20	trivial	favours placebo	0.56
		Ball carry frequency (count·min^−1)	0.17 ± 0.13	0.16 ± 0.12	−0.01 ± 0.13	−0.08	trivial	favours placebo	0.67
		Tackle quality (Skill-Index rating)	2.51 ± 0.49	2.57 ± 0.46	0.06 ± 0.48	0.13	trivial	favours caffeine	0.72
		Ruck quality (Skill-Index rating)	3.16 ± 0.39	3.40 ± 0.34	0.24 ± 0.37	0.66	moderate	favours caffeine	0.07
		Pass quality (Skill-Index rating)	3.14 ± 0.49	3.09 ± 0.32	−0.05 ± 0.41	−0.12	trivial	favours placebo	0.78
		Pass receive quality (Skill-Index rating)	2.99 ± 0.26	3.08 ± 0.21	0.09 ± 0.24	0.38	small	favours caffeine	0.31
		Ball carry quality (Skill-Index rating)	3.34 ± 0.64	3.28 ± 0.62	−0.06 ± 0.63	−0.10	trivial	favours placebo	0.74
Madden et al., 2019	Conquered puck (unadjusted IR) §	57.50 ± 20.10	59.50 ± 20.50	2.00 ± 20.30	0.10	trivial	favours caffeine	0.79
		Received pass (unadjusted IR) §	47.00 ± 18.20	28.00 ± 14.10	−19.00 ± 16.15	−1.18	moderate	favours placebo	< 0.01*
		Lost puck (unadjusted IR) §†	31.50 ± 15.00	33.50 ± 15.50	2.00 ± 15.25	0.13	trivial	favours caffeine	0.73
		Offensive pass (unadjusted IR) §	42.50 ± 17.40	32.00 ± 15.10	−10.50 ± 16.25	−0.65	moderate	favours placebo	0.55
		Successful shot (unadjusted IR) §	23.50 ± 13.00	16.50 ± 11.00	−7.00 ± 12.00	−0.58	small	favours placebo	0.09
		Neutral pass (unadjusted IR) §	7.00 ± 7.30	5.50 ± 6.50	−1.50 ± 6.90	−0.22	small	favours placebo	0.11
Puente et al., 2017	Total points made (count)	8.20 ± 6.90	8.80 ± 6.10	0.60 ± 6.50	0.09	trivial	favours caffeine	0.35
		Total rebounds (count)	2.50 ± 2.00	3.70 ± 2.60	1.20 ± 2.30	0.52	small	favours caffeine	0.03*
		Total assists (count)	1.10 ± 0.90	2.10 ± 1.60	1.00 ± 1.25	0.80	moderate	favours caffeine	0.02*
		PIR	8.40 ± 8.30	11.60 ± 7.30	3.20 ± 7.80	0.41	small	favours caffeine	0.04*
		Accuracy in 2-point field goals (%)	54.70 ± 30.50	52.90 ± 37.20	−1.80 ± 33.85	−0.05	trivial	favours placebo	0.45
		Accuracy in 3-point field goals (%)	27.40 ± 31.50	23.70 ± 27.50	−3.70 ± 29.50	−0.13	trivial	favours placebo	0.33
		Accuracy in free throws (%)	71.40 ± 40.50	73.80 ± 20.70	2.40 ± 30.60	0.08	trivial	favours caffeine	0.44

Key – N/A: Not Available; * = significant difference (p < 0.05); ∆ = mean difference = CAFFEINE – CONTROL; ‡: secondary analysis of (Del Coso et al., 2013); IR: Incidence Rate; §: SD calculated from 95% confidence intervals using the equation: SD = √N × (UCI – LCI) / 3.92 [Higgins et al., 2019; Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews]; †: outcome negatively related to technical-skill performance; PIR: Performance-Index Rating = ((points + total rebounds + assists + steals + blocks committed + fouls received) − (missed shots + turnovers + fouls committed)).

Table 5. Effects of acute caffeine supplementation on physical performance during match-play in high-performance team-sports

Reference	Outcome measure (units)	Control mean ± SD	Caffeine mean	Mean difference ∆ ± pooled SD	Cohen’s d	Effect size	Direction of effect	p-value
Pettersen et al., 2014	Total distance (m)	9854.00 ± 901.00	10,062.00 ± 916.00	208.00 ± 908.50	0.23	small	favours caffeine	0.13
		High-speed distance (m) [>19.8 km·h^−1]	642.00 ± 240.00	557.00 ± 178.00	−85.00 ± 209.00	−0.41	small	favours placebo	0.14
		Distance sprinting (m) [>25.2 km·h^−1]	112.00 ± 69.00	109.00 ± 58.00	−3.00 ± 63.50	−0.05	trivial	favours placebo	0.84
		Accelerations (count) [> 2 m·s^−2]	126.00 ± 24.00	123.00 ± 31.00	−3.00 ± 27.50	−0.11	trivial	favours placebo	0.67
		Peak speed (km·h^−1) [first half]	28.40 ± 1.90	28.40 ± 1.70	0.00 ± 1.80	0.00	no effect	no effect	> 0.05
		Peak speed (km·h^−1) [second half]	28.30 ± 1.50	27.90 ± 1.50	−0.40 ± 1.50	−0.27	small	favours placebo	> 0.05
Del Coso et al., 2012	Total distance (m)	7352.00 ± 881.00	7782.00 ± 878.00	430.00 ± 879.50	0.49	small	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Mean distance (m·min^−1)	92.00 ± 11.00	98.00 ± 11.00	6.00 ± 11.00	0.55	small	favours caffeine	N/A
		Distance at high-speed (m) [> 13.1 km·h^−1]	1205.00 ± 289.00	1436.00 ± 326.00	231.00 ± 307.50	0.75	moderate	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Distance sprinting (m) [> 18.0 km·h^−1]	376.00 ± 122.00	489.00 ± 172.00	113.00 ± 147.00	0.77	moderate	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Sprint bouts (count) [> 18 km·h^−1, > 1 s^−1]	24.00 ± 8.00	30.00 ± 10.00	6.00 ± 9.00	0.67	moderate	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
Del Coso et al., 2013	Mean running pace (m·min^−1)	87.50 ± 8.30	95.40 ± 12.70	7.90 ± 10.50	0.75	moderate	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		High-speed pace [18–20 km·h] (m·min^−1)	3.70 ± 1.40	4.40 ± 1.40	0.70 ± 1.40	0.50	small	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Sprinting pace [> 20 km·h] (m·min^−1)	4.60 ± 3.30	6.10 ± 3.40	1.50 ± 3.35	0.45	small	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
Del Coso et al., 2013	Total running distance (m) [match]	4749.00 ± 589.00	5139.00 ± 475.00	390.00 ± 532.00	0.73	moderate	favours caffeine	0.01*
		Running distance (m) [first half]	2327.00 ± 232.00	2366.00 ± 263.00	39.00 ± 247.50	0.16	trivial	favours caffeine	0.51
		Running distance (m) [second half]	2416.00 ± 443.00	2772.00 ± 308.00	356.00 ± 375.50	0.95	moderate	favours caffeine	0.01*
		High-speed distance (m) [18–20 km·h^−1]	107.00 ± 70.00	143.00 ± 86.00	36.00 ± 78.00	0.46	small	favours caffeine	0.01*
		Distance sprinting (m) [> 20 km·h^−1]	184.00 ± 38.00	208.00 ± 38.00	24.00 ± 38.00	0.63	moderate	favours caffeine	0.01*
		Sprint actions (count) [> 20 km·h^−1, > 5 m)	10.00 ± 7.00	12.00 ± 7.00	2.00 ± 7.00	0.29	small	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Total impacts (count) [> 5 g]	481.00 ± 352.00	641.00 ± 366.00	160.00 ± 359.00	0.45	small	favours caffeine	0.01*
		Total impacts (count) [> 5 g] [first half]	227.00 ± 181.00	296.00 ± 175.00	69.00 ± 178.00	0.39	small	favours caffeine	0.23
		Total impacts (count) [> 5 g] [second half]	254.00 ± 179.00	346.00 ± 198.00	92.00 ± 188.50	0.49	small	favours caffeine	0.01*
Del Coso et al., 2016	Total distance (m)	6035.00 ± 451.00	6055.00 ± 499.00	20.00 ± 475.00	0.04	small	favours caffeine	0.87
		High-intensity actions [> 19 km·h^−1, > 1 s^−1]	23.00 ± 5.60	27.40 ± 7.00	4.40 ± 6.30	0.70	moderate	favours caffeine	0.02*
		Sprint actions [> 23 km·h^−1, > 1 s^−1]	4.50 ± 1.90	6.30 ± 2.90	1.80 ± 2.40	0.75	moderate	favours caffeine	0.05
		High-speed distance (m) [19–22.9 km·h^−1]	303.00 ± 67.00	358.00 ± 117.00	55.00 ± 92.00	0.60	moderate	favours caffeine	0.05
		Distance sprinting (m) [> 23 km·h^−1]	85.00 ± 41.00	117.00 ± 55.00	32.00 ± 48.00	0.67	moderate	favours caffeine	0.02*
		Total body impacts (count)	697.00 ± 285.00	618.00 ± 221.00	−79.00 ± 253.00	−0.31	small	favours placebo	0.15
Lara et al., 2014	Total distance (m)	6631.00 ± 1618.00	7087.00 ± 1501.00	456.00 ± 1559.50	0.29	small	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		High-speed distance (m) [13.1–18.0 km·h^−1]	680.00 ± 334.00	773.00 ± 281.00	93.00 ± 307.50	0.30	small	favours caffeine	> 0.05
		Distance sprinting (m) [> 18.0 km·h^−1]	161.00 ± 99.00	216.00 ± 103.00	55.00 ± 101.00	0.54	small	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Sprint bouts (count) [> 18 km·h^−1, > 1 s^−1]	16.00 ± 9.00	21.00 ± 13.00	5.00 ± 11.00	0.45	small	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Maximum speed (km·h^−1)	23.80 ± 2.50	24.20 ± 2.40	0.40 ± 2.45	0.16	trivial	favours caffeine	0.25
Madden et al., 2019	Skate time (s^−1) #	361.36 ± 34.72	324.38 ± 47.93	−36.99 ± 41.32	−0.90	moderate	favours placebo	0.04*
		Shifts (count) #	9.57 ± 1.16	8.71 ± 1.64	−0.86 ± 1.40	−0.61	moderate	favours placebo	0.11
		Time (s^−1) per shift #	37.91 ± 2.00	37.52 ± 2.91	−0.39 ± 2.46	−0.16	trivial	favours placebo	1.00
		Mean skate acceleration (g)#	1.28 ± 0.05	1.29 ± 0.05	0.01 ± 0.05	0.20	trivial	favours caffeine	0.18
		Peak head accelerations [> 1.85 g, GMSA] (count·s^−1)	4.10 ± 0.90	4.40 ± 0.90	0.30 ± 0.90	0.33	small	favours caffeine	0.02*
		Maximum peak head accelerations (g)	10.00 ± 5.10	12.30 ± 4.80	2.30 ± 4.95	0.46	small	favours caffeine	0.14
		Trunk contact [level 1] (unadjusted IR)	4.50 ± 6.10	0.50 ± 3.40	−4.00 ± 4.75	−0.84	moderate	favours placebo	0.04*
		Trunk contact [level 2] (unadjusted IR)	24.50 ± 13.30	19.00 ± 11.70	−5.50 ± 12.50	−0.44	small	favours placebo	0.24
		Trunk contact [level 3] (unadjusted IR)	5.00 ± 6.30	5.00 ± 6.30	0.00 ± 6.30	0.00	no effect	no effect	1.00
		Trunk contact [level 4] (unadjusted IR)	3.00 ± 5.10	3.00 ± 5.10	0.00 ± 5.10	0.00	no effect	no effect	1.00
		Trunk contact [level 5] (unadjusted IR)	0.00 ± 0.00	0.00 ± 0.00	0.00 ± 0.00	N/A	no effect	no effect	N/A
Muñoz et al., 2020	Accelerations (count·min^−1)	18.75 ± 1.57	19.13 ± 1.16	0.38 ± 1.37	0.28	small	favours caffeine	0.18
		Decelerations (count·min^−1)	19.00 ± 1.37	18.72 ± 1.42	−0.28 ± 1.40	−0.20	trivial	favours placebo	0.05
		Impacts (count·min^−1)	23.87 ± 11.46	26.25 ± 13.57	2.38 ± 12.52	0.19	trivial	favours caffeine	0.56
Portillo et al., 2017 ‡	Impacts [< 5.00 to 6 g] (count·min^−1)	16.10 ± 4.90	20.80 ± 9.90	4.70 ± 7.40	0.64	moderate	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Impacts [6.01 < 6.50 g] (count·min^−1)	12.20 ± 10.60	16.20 ± 15.20	4.00 ± 12.90	0.31	small	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Impacts [6.51 < 7 g] (count·min^−1)	3.80 ± 1.50	4.70 ± 2.60	0.90 ± 2.05	0.44	small	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Impacts [7.01 < 8 g] (count·min^−1)	N/A ± N/A	N/A ± N/A	N/A ± N/A	N/A	N/A	favours placebo	0.28
		Impacts [8.01 < 10 g] (count·min^−1)	0.80 ± 0.40	1.10 ± 0.60	0.30 ± 0.50	0.60	moderate	favours caffeine	< 0.05*
		Impacts [> 10 g] (count·min^−1)	N/A ± N/A	N/A ± N/A	N/A ± N/A	N/A	N/A	favours placebo	0.23
Puente et al., 2017	Impacts (count·min^−1)	396.00 ± 43.00	410.00 ± 41.00	14.00 ± 42.00	0.33	small	favours caffeine	< 0.01*
Puente et al., 2018 †	Impacts (count·min^−1) [AA homozygotes]	385.00 ± 48.00	401.00 ± 36.00	16.00 ± 42.00	0.38	small	favours caffeine	0.02*
		Impacts (count·min^−1) [C-allele carriers]	401.00 ± 36.00	415.00 ± 35.00	14.00 ± 35.50	0.39	small	favours caffeine	0.01*
Raya-Gonzalez et al., 2021#	Total distance (m·min^−1)	79.30 ± 21.50	80.00 ± 6.40	0.70 ± 13.95	0.05	trivial	favours caffeine	0.07
		High-speed distance [18.01–24.0 km·h^−1] (m·min^−1)	2.60 ± 1.10	2.60 ± 1.90	0.00 ± 1.50	0.00	no effect	no effect	0.66
		Distance sprinting (m·min^−1) [>24 km·h^−1]	1.10 ± 2.00	1.10 ± 0.20	0.00 ± 1.10	0.00	no effect	no effect	0.19
		Maximum speed (km·h^−1)	21.60 ± 3.90	19.40 ± 1.20	−2.20 ± 2.55	−0.86	moderate	favours placebo	0.13
		Accelerations (m·min^−1)	6.60 ± 1.90	6.40 ± 0.90	−0.20 ± 1.40	−0.14	trivial	favours placebo	0.38
		Decelerations (m·min^−1)	6.20 ± 1.70	6.22 ± 0.70	0.02 ± 1.20	0.02	trivial	favours caffeine	0.12
		Impacts (count·min^−1)	8.20 ± 6.30	7.50 ± 2.90	−0.70 ± 4.60	−0.15	trivial	favours placebo	0.29
		Jumps (count·min^−1)	4.00 ± 1.70	3.60 ± 1.50	−0.40 ± 1.60	−0.25	small	favours placebo	0.18
		Player load (AU·min^−1)	1.40 ± 0.30	1.20 ± 0.20	−0.20 ± 0.25	−0.80	moderate	favours placebo	0.07

Key – N/A: Not Available OR Not Applicable; * = significant difference (p < 0.05); ∆ = mean difference = CAFFEINE – CONTROL; IR: Incidence Rate; GMSA: global mean skating acceleration; #: not presently available to the public [data/ manuscript was retrieved from the authors]; AU: Arbitrary Units; g: gravitational force equivalent; ‡: secondary analysis of (Del Coso et al., 2013); †: sub-analysis of (Puente et al., 2017).

Figure 2. Effects of acute caffeine supplementation on technical-skill performance outcomes during live match-play in high-performance team-sports. Key: † = outcome measure negatively related to technical-skill performance.

Cohen’s d was calculated using the equation: d = ((mean value with caffeine – mean value with control) / (average (caffeine SD, control SD))); Effect sizes are operationalised as per Hopkins et al. (2009), pp. – i.e., trivial, ≤ 0.20; small, 0.20 to 0.59; moderate, 0.60 to 1.19; large, 1.20 to 1.99; very large, 2.00 to 3.99; extremely large, ≥ 4.00.

Figure 3. Schematic to summarise the evidence included in this systematic literature review on the effects of acute caffeine ingestion on physiological, physical and technical-skill performance outcomes during live intermittent team-sport match-play.

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