Introduction and Purpose: Athletic performance in competitive teams is influenced by various psychological and social factors. The present study aimed to develop and test a structural equation model examining the relationship between team psychological safety and group cohesion with athletic performance, considering the moderating role of sport experience among team athletes.

Methodology: This study was descriptive–correlational in nature and employed a structural equation modeling approach. The statistical population consisted of team sport athletes in Kermanshah in 2025, from whom 230 participants were selected using cluster sampling. Data collection instruments included Edmondson’s Team Psychological Safety Questionnaire (1999), the Group Environment Questionnaire developed by Carron and colleagues, and a scale of athletic performance. Data were analyzed using confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and multi-group analysis in AMOS statistical software.

Results: The findings indicated that team psychological safety had a positive and significant effect on group cohesion and athletic performance. In addition, group cohesion played a significant mediating role in the relationship between team psychological safety and athletic performance. The results of the multi-group analysis also showed that sport experience acted as a moderating variable in the relationships among the study variables, with stronger effects observed among more experienced athletes compared with less experienced athletes.

Conclusion: findings highlight the importance of creating psychologically safe environments and strengthening team cohesion in order to improve athletic performance. Simultaneous attention to psychological and social team factors, together with athletes’ level of experience, may serve as an effective strategy for enhancing the performance of sport teams.