Ankle sprain: return-to-play times in football
Not medical advice. This page is general education summarizing published research on professional footballers. It is not a diagnosis or treatment plan for anyone. If you are injured, see your own clinician.
Most ankle sprains are to the lateral (outer) ligaments, often when the foot rolls inward.
What the research reports
- Lateral ankle sprain had the shortest average return to training of the ligament injuries studied: about 20 days.
- For comparison, lateral collateral ligament (knee) injuries averaged about 43 days to return to matches.
These are averages across many players. Individual recovery varies a lot. Last reviewed 16 Oct 2026.
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