Question: Playing in La Paz: High Altitude and Player Performance

[phd_angel]

Does FM factor extremely high altitude in player performance?

I just found out that my match for Liberatores final will be in La Paz, Bolivia, the highest capital on the planet (3,500m or 12,000 feet above sea level).

If you ever been there, you know you'll feel incredibly sick with the lack of oxygen (headache, heart palpitation, dizziness, nausea, etc.)...

It seems that FIFA actually banned international matches in La Paz.

I wonder if FM has incorporated high altitude, heat and cold in match performance...

[XaW]

Looking at what they wrote in the blog for the match engine

Quote

Weather is another factor that will affect the movement of the ball, as will things like the temperature or the altitude of the stadium that you’re playing at.

https://www.footballmanager.com/features/truer-football-motion-match-authenticity-positional-play

It does have an impact on the ball physics, so the altitude (and temperature) has an impact. If it affects the players too, I'm not sure about, but I think I've seen some post in here where SI said it impacts. Not sure though.

And for what it's worth, I haven't been to La Paz, but I've been to Cusco, Peru, and climbed the Andes, so I know about how the altitude impacts you. I was in good shape at the time, but walking slowly around the Plaza de Armas in Cusco I was out of breath within minutes.

[Domoboy23]

Its something that needs to be carefully implemented.

I've seen so many videos of Brazil players on Oxygen at HT and FT when playing against Peru etc and still win by 2,3,4 goals. Don't think they've lost there in yonks.

Whilst it may effect you and me, should it have that much of a bearing on professional players performance? Bit worried teams with high altitude stadiums might become a fortress on FM

[Wolf_pd]

8 hours ago, phd_angel said:

Does FM factor extremely high altitude in player performance?

I just found out that my match for Liberatores final will be in La Paz, Bolivia, the highest capital on the planet (3,500m or 12,000 feet above sea level).

If you ever been there, you know you'll feel incredibly sick with the lack of oxygen (headache, heart palpitation, dizziness, nausea, etc.)...

High altitude has been incorporated. It has shown during tests that it has an effect on performance. The effects are not shockingly big though.

[phd_angel]

Thanks for the replies, guys.

Brazilian players on oxygen after a match in La Paz, Bolivia in 2018... This is real.

[FrazT]

SI have said before that this does have an effect in the game, but, from memory, they have never actually quantified exactly what the effect will be although it wont be massive.

[Kondelenan]

Hi! In this link, from the FM official website, you can find a study demonstrating the big impact of playing in altitude. It is in Spanish, but with translation is very understandable:

https://www.footballmanager.com/es/the-byline/domina-en-la-altura-guia-de-altitud-en-football-manager

I also remember a famous twitter thread about an experiment of a Nepali football team playing in the Premier League and everytime teams from England visited this team they couldn't win due the a huge impact of altitude in players. Couldn't find the link right now.

Edited October 16, 2023 by Kondelenan