Purpose: To explore and compare physical performance across different match scheduling types, including noncongested, congested, and playoffs and considering contextual factors such as match outcomes, location, and player position of a Liga MX football club over a 4-season follow-up. Method: Thirty-seven players participated. Physical-performance metrics included total and relative distance, maximal velocity, maximal acceleration and deceleration, high-intensity break distance, explosive distance, high-speed running (HSR), number and distance of HSR actions, and number and distance of sprints. Linear mixed-model analysis was applied to compare interactions between variables using fixed factors and random factors. Results: Players showed a physical decrement during the playoffs compared with noncongested fixtures in total distance (Delta = -497 m, P = .007), relative distance (Delta = 9.10 m/min, P < .001), peak velocity (Delta = 0.54 km/h, P = .003), high-intensity break distance (Delta = 14 m, P < .001), explosive distance (Delta = 58 m, P < .001), HSR distance (Delta = 43 m, P < .001), number of HSR actions (Delta = 1.86, P < .001), sprint distance (Delta = 29 m, P < .001), and number of sprints (Delta = 1.17, P < .001). Furthermore, physical performance tended to decline during playoff matches that resulted in a loss, and this was more pronounced in winger player positions than in players with other roles such as center backs and forwards (P = .001). Conclusion: These findings highlight a physical-performance decrease during the playoffs, which can be a key determinant of match outcomes. TO OUR READERS: An error appeared in the ahead-of-print version of the following article: Rendeiro-Pinho G, Vasquez-Bonilla AA, Balsom PD, Tojo O, Flores Olivares LA, Ramirez Mendez PJ, Carranza-García LE. Evidence of decreased physical performance during playoff matches: a 4-season study of a Liga MX football club. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. Published online October 25, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijspp.2025-0286 Incorrect affiliations were noted in the author byline for authors Paul D. Balsom, Oscar Tojo, Luis Alberto Flores Olivares, Paul Jacobo Ramirez Mendez, and Luis Enrique Carranza-García. The article was corrected October 30, 2025. The authors apologize for the error.
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