Abstarct: The present study aimed to investigate the effect of transformational leadership on football plaxyers’ performance with the mediating role of team cohesion. The research method was descxriptive-correlational and, in terms of purpose, applied; it was conducted cross-sectionally in the field. Data were collected using three questionnaires: the 4-item Athletes’ Performance Questionnaire by Charbonneau et al. (2001), the Transformational Leadership Questionnaire by Beoyle et al. (2019), and the Team Cohesion Questionnaire by Carron et al. (1985). The validity of these instruments was confirmed by a panel of 10 expert professors, and their reliability, given that they were baxsed on a Likert scale, was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. All variables obtained alpha values greater than 0.70, indicating acceptable reliability. The statistical population consisted of football plaxyers from clubs in North Khorasan Province during the 2024–2025 season. baxsed on Klein’s (2000) sample size determination method and using convenience sampling, 324 plaxyers were selected as the study sample. Descxriptive statistics (mean, frequency, percentage, standard deviation, and tabulation) were used to organize, summarize, and classify the raw scores, while inferential statistics (structural equation modeling, path analysis, and hypothesis testing) were used to examine the relationships among variables. Data analysis was performed using SmartPLS 3 and SPSS22software. The findings revealed that transformational leadership had a positive and significant effect on plaxyers’ performance. Moreover, transformational leadership enhanced team cohesion, and team cohesion had a direct effect on plaxyers’ performance. Finally, it was found that team cohesion played a significant mediating role in the relationship between transformational leadership and plaxyers’ performance. baxsed on these findings, it is recommended that football clubs and federations implement training programs to strengthen transformational leadership skills and team-building activities (such as group camps and joint projects). These initiatives are expected to improve team cohesion, collaboration, mutual trust among plaxyers, and overall team performance.