Abstract Background Dietary patterns that include high-quality and varied food groups have the potential to modulate oxidative status. This research was conducted to determine dietary diversity score (DDS) and food quality score (FQS) in football players and their matched non-athletes, also their associations with oxidative indicators assessed by the urinary levels of F2alpha-isoprostane (F2a-IP) and 8-hydroxy-2'-deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG). Methods Participants consisted of 45 male football players and 45 male non-athletes in two age-and body mass index (BMI)-matched groups from Shiraz City, Iran. Anthropometric measurements were performed, and urine samples were analyzed to determine oxidative biomarkers. Dietary data derived from a reliable food frequency questionnaire with 168 items was completed to determine DDS and FQS. For data analysis, an appropriate generalized estimating equation model was set up. Results Our results demonstrated that FQS (β = 5.46; P