Jet Lag Is the Tournament's Invisible Opponent, and Teams Are Fighting It With Light

Three countries, four time zones, one confused body clock.

<p>A tournament spread across a continent means flights, and flights mean a body clock that thinks kickoff is happening at the wrong hour.</p>

<p>Circadian science says physical performance has a daily rhythm, typically peaking in the late afternoon of your internal time. Land in a new zone and that peak can drift away from match time.</p>

<p>The counterattack is light. Carefully timed bright light exposure, plus scheduled meals and sleep, can shift the body clock roughly an hour a day.</p>

<p>That is why some squads wear tinted glasses at odd hours and eat breakfast at strange times. It looks eccentric. It is chronobiology, deployed like a set-piece routine.</p>