The first World Cup staged across the United States, Canada and Mexico in the heart of summer was always going to be a hot one. This week, with high temperatures settling over much of the U.S., that prospect has turned into an acute concern.
How big the risk is
By one analysis, roughly a third of the tournament's 104 matches carry a high risk of dangerously hot conditions, NPR reported. Researchers measure that danger using the "wet-bulb globe temperature," a reading that combines heat, humidity, sun and wind to capture the strain the body actually feels — and which can flag danger even when the air temperature alone looks manageable. Most of the 16 host cities can cross those warning thresholds during the tournament window, according to Climate Central, with afternoon kickoffs in humid cities such as Miami and Kansas City among those flagged as highest-risk.
The danger to players
Ninety minutes of sprinting in extreme heat is genuinely hazardous. During hard exertion in hot conditions, players' core body temperatures can climb toward 39 to 40 degrees Celsius, raising the risk of heat exhaustion and, in severe cases, life-threatening heat stroke. Heat also blunts performance, cutting the distance players cover and slowing the split-second decisions the game demands.
A gap over the safeguards
For the first time, FIFA has made cooling breaks mandatory, pausing each half so players can drink and lower their temperature. But the global players' union, FIFPRO, and independent scientists argue the protections do not go far enough. They recommend mandatory breaks at a wet-bulb reading of around 26 degrees Celsius and postponing matches at about 28 — whereas FIFA's threshold for considering a postponement sits markedly higher, as players have noted in urging the governing body to act. Only a handful of the tournament's stadiums have roofs and air-conditioning capable of taming the heat; most matches are in open-air venues.
A warming backdrop
The concern is sharpened by a changing climate. Extremely hot days during June and July have become far more common at the host cities than they were decades ago, research by World Weather Attribution found. The contrast with the last men's World Cup is instructive: the 2022 edition in Qatar was moved to November and December precisely to escape the searing Gulf summer.
Safety versus the schedule
FIFA says player welfare is a priority and points to its cooling breaks, adjusted kickoff times and pitch-side measures such as chilled water and ice towels. Critics counter that lucrative, television-friendly midday and afternoon slots push games into the hottest part of the day. Whether the current safeguards prove enough is likely to be tested in the coming days, as the tournament presses on through the peak of the American summer.
