Background <p>While there is ample evidence on the association between physical fitness and mental well-being in youth soccer players, less is known about the relationship between flow and mental skills according to their prior psychological state.</p> Purpose <p>This study aimed to analyse the psychological characteristics of youth soccer players and their optimal performance (flow) and to determine the correlation between flow and mental skills in relationship with the anterior psychological state.</p> Methods <p>The participants were 76 elite young male soccer players, who were divided into four groups according to their year of birth with an age range of 13–17 years. To assess the mental abilities and flow, two questionnaires was used: Flow State Scale-2 (FSS-2), Ottawa Mental Skills Assessment Tool-4 (OMSAT-4).</p> Results <p>The results showed a positive correlation between flow and mental skills across the nine dimensions of Flow and the 12 mental skills vary between (all; <i>p</i> 0.001). Results from multiple regressions indicated significant models (all <i>p</i> &lt; 0.01 or better) explaining between 7.1% to 73.6% of the variance in the dimensions of Flow from different mental skills.</p> Conclusion <p>The associations between flow and mental health in youth soccer players may imply transfer effects from flow state and well-being state and vice versa. These results can have a great impact on coaches’ work, since they can help them to establish tasks and training methods consistent with the mental characteristics of their players. Since coaches cannot act directly on flow, working on the different mental skills can stimulate the optimal psychological state called flow.</p> Trial registration <p>Cross-sectional study.</p>