Introduction: Coaches' behavioral styles are an important topic in sports psychology that can negatively affect factors such as athlete burnout. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between coaches' behavioral styles and football players' burnout with the mediating role of cognitive flexibility.

Method: The present study was correlational and survey-based, conducted virtually. The statistical population included young football players aged 18 to 28 years in Basra city, with purposive sampling. The sample size was determined as 119 participants based on G*Power software calculation. Data were collected using the Coach Leadership Style Questionnaire, Sports Burnout Questionnaire, and Cognitive Flexibility Inventory. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 and LISREL version 8.8, with Pearson correlation method at a significance level of 0.05.

Findings: The direct relationship between coaching behavioral styles and burnout was not significant (β = -0.069, p = 0.442); however, the indirect relationship through cognitive flexibility was significant (β = -0.157, p = 0.005). Additionally, 54% of the variance in cognitive flexibility and 10% of the variance in burnout were explained by the research variables.

Conclusion: Cognitive flexibility plays a significant mediating role in the relationship between coaches' behavioral styles and burnout among footballers and can be considered a key factor in reducing sports burnout.