Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of an 8-week mindfulness training course on the technical, tactical, physical, and cognitive abilities of young football players in Iraq.

Research Methodology: The study involved 88 young Iraqi football players aged 12-18, divided into two groups: one received regular physical training with three weekly mindfulness meditation sessions, while the other received only physical training. Three timed tests were performed: baseline, post-intervention, and follow-up (4 weeks later), measuring passing accuracy, dribbling success, sprint speed, endurance, decision error rate, tactical awareness, reaction time, focus duration, and overall performance. A mixed-variance analysis (ANOVA) was used to assess the effects at a 0.05 significance level.

Results: The study found significant improvements in the experimental group. Passing accuracy improved by 7.4% (compared to 1.7% in the control group). Dribbling success increased by 3.9% (compared to 1.0%). Sprint speed decreased by 5.5% (compared to 0.7% in the control group). Body endurance increased by 7.8% (compared to 0.1%). Overall performance improved by 7.0% in the experimental group, while the control group showed a 1.2% improvement.

Conclusions: Mindfulness training had a significant positive impact on various aspects of football performance in young players, particularly in terms of passing accuracy, dribbling, and endurance. The effects continued to be noticeable even after the post-assessment period.

Limitations: The study was limited by its sample size and the lack of female participants, which means the findings may not be applicable to different populations.

Contributions: This study contributes to sports psychology by showing that mindfulness training can improve sports performance. It emphasizes the value of cognitive-training methods in youth football and their benefits for brain development. Future research should include multicenter trials with female participants.