Nowadays football is steadily developing around the world. Many sport theorists and practitioners pay a lot of attention to the search for the key factors determining high sports results. Players’ comprehensive preparation seems to be essential in order to succeed in football. Therefore, the focus of this work was on the aspects of fitness and mental preparation. The authors aimed to define the basic motor skills and psychological conditions, designed to serve as predisposition to sports competition in an11-person football. Among the motor factors, a special attention was drawn to the importance of endurance and speed ability in football. As far as the psychological conditions are concerned, the role of the psychosocial prototype of a high-performance sporting situation and psychological characteristics determining success in football were emphasized.