Why Moms Are Always in Overtime During the World Cup

Hi, friends! Germany plays again today. What does that mean? Well, during the World Cup a lot of moms find themselves facing a whole new set of challenges. The kids want to stay up later, hubby invites people over for a barbecue… and who thinks of everything? Who gets the place ready, checks whether there are enough napkins, snacks, salads, and sauces? In Marion's observation, it's mostly the women… is that how it goes at your house, too?

Marion Glück is a mentor for executives, an author, and a former naval officer. When she's not watching soccer, she coaches women in leadership roles on structured self-leadership and building mental strength. She even developed an AI companion for reflection and inner clarity. Here are her observations on women's workload during the World Cup.

The Invisible Game Moms Play During the World Cup

“The ball is rolling, the stadium is shaking, and overnight half the country turns into the national team coach. It's World Cup time. Suddenly everyone has an opinion about the lineup. In these weeks, I keep thinking of something my fitness trainer said to me recently: 'Funny, isn't it? Everybody has at least 90 minutes to watch other people play sports. But nobody has 30 to do it themselves.'

You can take that thought further. If you have 90 minutes for a soccer game, then strictly speaking you should also have half an hour to sit down with your sweetheart, lovingly known as your “better half,” and talk about a question that in many families would rather stay offside. The question of who at home actually thinks of everything. Because while 22 people chase a ball out there, there's a game going on in our homes, too. It's just that nobody sees it. It has no halftime, no final whistle, and above all, no substitutes bench.

The way I see it, most women play offense or midfield and handle defense at the same time. On the side, they're also the ball girl. (Is the house picked up? Are there enough chips? Is there still soap in the guest bathroom? What do I need for the salad? Where are the cushions for the patio furniture? Do I have something for our vegetarian friends?) The guy, at best, guards the goal (yes, cliché, but in my circle that's what I see). Meaning he's standing at the grill, chatting with his buddy.

And now, in the World Cup weeks, this game is on a loop. The matches come late this time, the grilling goes on until the clouds turn purple. The kids are so wound up that sleep is out of the question. They still have to go to bed. While the midfield is being analyzed inside, Mom herds the overtired team into bed and collects the glasses. The alarm clock goes off tomorrow just like always. For Dad, the tournament is a home game on the couch. For Mom, it's going into overtime.

There are even numbers on this. According to an R+V study from April 2026 (conducted by the market research institute INNOFACT, 1,000 families), 80 percent of parents feel mentally overloaded in everyday life. Among moms, 89 percent say they constantly have to think of everything.

Constantly thinking of everything. That's the heart of mental load. The head work that keeps the whole family running and that nobody sees anyway, because it doesn't leave sweat stains.

Here's a small excerpt from the lineup in my head on a totally normal Tuesday: Is there enough milk? When was that dentist appointment again? Is the daycare party on the calendar yet? Does the mud gear still fit? Did I get the gift for the kid's birthday party on Saturday (and the wrapping paper, which is also all gone)? And the classic: eggs. We need eggs.

Which brings us back to soccer. “Eier, wir brauchen Eier!” (“Balls, we need balls!” — literally “eggs”) is what former German goalkeeper Oliver Kahn once roared into the cameras. For him, it was about mentality and the absolute determination to win. For me, eggs are on the shopping list. Right under the hot dogs and along with the salad stuff I still have to pick up, because this weekend we have people coming over to watch the German national team's opening match.

In soccer, they say the round thing has to go into the square thing. In my head, it's exactly the other way around. Everything square has to go in. All those boxy, awkward appointments and lists are supposed to fit somehow into a head that's already spinning like a ball after a banana kick.

And heaven help me if one of the balls drops. I forget the spare clothes, and my kid is standing there in 86-degree heat with nothing clean to change into. And the daycare teacher had just explained to me last week how things work when it's hot. Immediately, my inner video referee kicks in. He rewinds the scene, plays it back in slow motion, and blows the whistle. Clearly my foul. And I stand there thinking I'm not even good enough for the bench. Meanwhile, I'm casually juggling five more balls than any pro. It's just that nobody applauds.

Now, back to those 90 minutes. My trainer's math holds up here, too. If there's time in the coming weeks for the game, overtime, and three rounds of penalty shootouts, then there's also time for a different conversation. One you have on the couch with a cold drink before the kickoff. One where you honestly divide up who's saving which balls.

The individual tasks are rarely the hard part. The hard part is that one person alone carries the whole lineup in her head. As soon as that thinking sits on two shoulders, the endless run turns into a game with substitutions. And subbing out is allowed. It's right there in the rulebook.

Until that conversation happens, here are a few quick emergency plays for the moments when your head is blowing the whistle and halftime is canceled:

• The fastest one is the breathing trick. Breathe in briefly, then breathe out twice as long. The long exhale signals to your body that there's no attack. All clear, and the alarm dials down a notch. Twice is often enough.
• Then there's ground contact. Plant both feet firmly on the floor and really feel how solidly you're standing. The better you stand, the harder it is to knock you over. Any central defender will tell you so.
• And when nothing else works, shake out your hands hard, just like the pros before kickoff. It looks silly in the kitchen, but it still kicks some of the tension out of your system.

And then, sometime between the group stage and the final, it's kickoff for that one conversation. At halftime, if need be. Fifteen minutes in which, for once, nobody is running after a ball.

Giovanni Trapattoni, back when he coached Bayern Munich, once shouted “I'm finished!” into the cameras in exasperation. Good for him. We moms are never done. The final whistle comes when everyone is in bed, at the earliest. And even then, stoppage time is still running in our heads.

How is it for you? Who on your team carries the whole lineup in her head?”