Match performance and physical capacity of players in the top three competitive standards of English professional soccer

•More high-intensity running in League 1 and the Championship than Premier League.•Technical indicators were superior in the Premier League compared to lower standards.•Players covered more high-intensity running when moving down a standard.•Similar Yo-Yo IE2 test performances across a subsample of each standard. The aim of this study was to compare the match performance and physical capacity of players in the top three competitive standards of English soccer. Match performance data were collected from players in the FA Premier League (n=190), Championship (n=155) and League 1 (n=366) using a multiple-camera system. In addition, a selection of players from the Premier League (n=56), Championship (n=61) and League 1 (n=32) performed the Yo-Yo intermittent endurance test level 2 (Yo-Yo IE2) to determine physical capacity. Players in League 1 and the Championship performed more (p