Heat Became One of the Key Safety Issues of the 2026 World Cup
Heat has grown at the 2026 FIFA World Cup from an operational issue into one of the tournament's important sporting, safety and health topics. The competition is being played in Canada, Mexico and the United States of America, across a large geographical area and in 16 host cities, which is why conditions differ significantly from stadium to stadium. According to FIFA's official schedule, the tournament runs from June 11 to July 19, 2026, and includes 104 matches in an expanded format with 48 national teams. Such a scale has increased the importance of planning travel, rest, match kick-off times and protective measures for players, fans, volunteers and workers around stadiums.
The issue came especially into focus after a Guardian analysis published on June 30, 2026, showed that nine group-stage matches had been played in conditions of potentially dangerous heat and humidity. According to that analysis, estimated WBGT index values at those matches were at or above 28 °C, a level for which FIFPRO states in its guidelines that it should raise the question of postponing or rescheduling the match until conditions become safer. The Guardian also stated that another 13 matches were played in cities with heat above that level, but in stadiums where the risk was mitigated by air conditioning. FIFA, meanwhile, emphasizes that it has introduced mandatory hydration breaks in all matches to ensure equal conditions for all teams and additional protection for players.
Why WBGT Is More Important Than Air Temperature Alone
The discussion about heat at this tournament is not limited only to classic air temperature. World Weather Attribution explains that sport and occupational medicine increasingly use WBGT, or the wet-bulb globe temperature index, because it combines temperature, humidity, solar radiation and air movement. Such an index better shows the real heat stress on the body than temperature alone, especially when play takes place in conditions of high humidity and direct sun. In football this is important because players move at high intensity, often without long breaks, while the body cools itself primarily through sweating and evaporation. When humidity is high, evaporation becomes more difficult, and the burden on the heart, thermoregulation and recovery capacity increases.
In its guidelines for hot conditions in professional football, FIFPRO states that elevated heat, humidity, solar load and weak airflow can impair performance, increase perceived exertion and raise the risk of heat-related illness. According to those guidelines, WBGT above 26 °C, or air temperature above 30 °C when WBGT measurement is not available, should lead to cooling breaks during the match. FIFPRO also states that WBGT above 28 °C, or air temperature above 36 °C, should lead toward postponing or rescheduling the match until conditions for players, referees and fans become safer. The players' union also recommends measurements at the venue itself before matches and training sessions, with consultations between players, coaches, referees and medical teams.
FIFA Introduced Breaks in the 22nd and 67th Minutes
In December 2025, FIFA announced that at the 2026 World Cup it would introduce three-minute hydration breaks in every match, regardless of the weather, temperature or whether the match is played under a roof. According to FIFA's explanation, the referee stops play in the middle of each half, around the 22nd minute of the first half and the 67th minute of the second half, and the break lasts three minutes from whistle to whistle. FIFA's tournament director for the USA, Manolo Zubiria, said at the time that the measure would be applied in all matches in order to avoid differences between national teams and individual stadiums. The organization stated that the decision is also based on experience from previous competitions, including the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 in the United States of America.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino further explained that decision during the tournament, saying that the main reason was heat, but also the need for national teams in a long competition to have a moment to rest. According to FIFA's announcement, the breaks are added to stoppage time at the end of each half, which means they do not formally shorten play. FIFA claims that this avoids a situation in which one team would gain a tactical advantage only because the match was played in a hotter city, while another team in cooler conditions would not have the same opportunity for respite and consultation with the coach. Critics of such an approach warn that standardized breaks change the rhythm of football, but FIFA for now maintains the position that uniform application is safer and fairer.
The Greatest Risk Is at Open Stadiums and in Humid Cities
According to World Weather Attribution, conditions at this tournament differ markedly between more northern and coastal cities, which generally have a milder climate, and the southern and inland areas of the USA and Mexico, where temperatures more often reach or exceed 30 °C. The same analysis states that heat and humidity are especially demanding in cities where high temperature maxima coincide with afternoon match times and open infrastructure. Among the more exposed stadiums mentioned in the analysis are New York New Jersey Stadium, Philadelphia Stadium, Kansas City Stadium and Miami Stadium, and to a lesser extent Estadio Monterrey and Boston Stadium. Air-conditioned stadiums in some cities can significantly reduce heat stress within the arena itself, but they do not remove the risk during arrival, waiting, departure and time spent in fan zones.
In its analysis of conditions at matches already played, The Guardian particularly highlighted Miami. According to its estimates, the two hottest matches in a non-air-conditioned space were played at Miami Stadium, including the draw between Uruguay and Cape Verde on June 21, when WBGT may have reached or exceeded 33 °C. The same source states that several days earlier, in the match between Uruguay and Saudi Arabia, the estimated WBGT was around 32.9 °C. Such figures show why the issue of heat is broader than individual complaints about discomfort: these are conditions in which sporting performance, player safety and organizational responsibility overlap.
Analyses Warn That Climate Change Increases the Likelihood of Extreme Conditions
World Weather Attribution states in its analysis that events with high WBGT values during the tournament are more likely in the climate conditions of 2026 than they would have been in the climate of 1994, when the United States of America last hosted the World Cup. According to that analysis, for the threshold of 28 °C WBGT, which FIFPRO guidelines consider a level unsafe for play without additional decisions, five matches in such conditions are expected in 2026, compared with three in the 1994 climate context, including stadiums with air conditioning. World Weather Attribution also states that the likelihood of events at thresholds of 26 °C, 28 °C and 32 °C WBGT is significantly higher than three decades ago. The analysis concludes that the observed increase in the likelihood of extreme WBGT conditions can be reliably linked to anthropogenic climate change.
The later stages of the tournament are particularly sensitive, because some matches are played in July, when many host cities typically experience the highest summer loads. According to the World Weather Attribution table, the final at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19 at 3 p.m. local time has an estimated probability of 12 percent of reaching 26 °C WBGT and 2.7 percent of reaching 28 °C WBGT in the current climate. For the semifinal in Dallas, in an air-conditioned stadium, the same analysis states much higher meteorological probabilities outside the cooling context, which shows the difference between outdoor climate conditions and actual heat stress in an enclosed, cooled space. Such estimates do not mean that every risky match will necessarily be played in dangerous conditions, but that organizers must have clear protocols for scenarios that are statistically increasingly likely.
The Risk Does Not Affect Only Players
Players are at the center of the discussion because they directly endure physiological stress during the match, but the safety issue also extends to fans, workers, volunteers, police, medical services and everyone around the stadium. The Guardian, citing public safety and disaster experts, warned that fans can be exposed to heat throughout their entire journey to the match, from parking lots and public transport stations to queues, entrances and unshaded areas around stadiums. Older people, children, people with cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, and everyone without access to cooling and regular hydration are particularly vulnerable. In fan zones, where large numbers of people gather outside stadiums, the risk can be greater than on the pitch itself if there is not enough shade, water, medical points and the possibility of quickly getting out of the sun.
In the United States of America, additional pressure is also being created by current warnings from meteorological services. The U.S. National Weather Service reported that dangerous, potentially record-breaking heat during the week that began on June 29, 2026, is intensifying across much of the central and eastern USA and that the heat index is likely to exceed 100 °F. The National Weather Service office for Kansas City and Pleasant Hill was showing, on July 01, 2026, extreme heat warnings and heat advisories for the wider area. The office for Philadelphia and Mount Holly stated that dangerous hot and humid conditions are expected from July 01 to July 04, 2026, with the possibility of thunderstorms. Such warnings do not relate exclusively to football, but in host cities they increase the importance of coordination between FIFA, local authorities, stadiums and health services.
Schedule, Infrastructure and Rules Become Part of the Sporting Story
FIFA claims that the tournament schedule was drawn up after a technical analysis of all locations, including average temperatures, cooling infrastructure, public transport and safety. The organization also states that different functional areas participated in the planning, from the competition sector and team services to medicine, television, tickets and security. This shows that heat is no longer merely a medical issue to be addressed on match day, but a factor that affects the overall design of a major sporting event. In practice, this means that kick-off times, stadium infrastructure, water availability, shaded zones, traffic organization, medical capacities and communication with spectators become just as important as standard on-field protocols.
In its guidelines, FIFPRO particularly emphasizes that matches should not be scheduled during the hottest part of the day when high WBGT is most likely. The players' union also calls for systematic collection of data on collapses and deaths related to heat in order to improve existing measures and develop better protocols. For football, this opens a broader discussion about the calendar, commercial demands, television slots and the limits of expanding competitions. The 2026 World Cup is the largest in history by number of national teams and matches, and precisely that size makes every weather and health decision more complex.
What Can Be Expected in the Rest of the Tournament
As of July 01, 2026, the discussion about heat is entering a new phase because the tournament is approaching knockout-round matches in cities that may have very different heat profiles. According to FIFA's schedule, some matches in the remainder are being played in open stadiums, and some in air-conditioned or partially enclosed spaces. In practice, this will mean that protective measures will have to be adapted not only to the forecast for the city, but also to the actual conditions in the stadium, around the stadium and in fan zones. Hydration breaks will remain a visible part of every match, but by themselves they cannot replace decisions on postponement, rescheduling or additional cooling measures if conditions worsen.
For national teams, heat affects preparation, recovery, rotations, pressing intensity and the way match endings are managed. For fans, it changes the way they travel to the stadium, the need for earlier planning of water and rest, and the assessment of health risk, especially for vulnerable groups. For FIFA and the host cities, the tournament is a test of the ability to organize a major sporting event in conditions of increasingly frequent extreme weather events. That is precisely why the safety and health issue of heat is no longer a side note to the matches, but one of the key questions by which the organization of the 2026 World Cup will be judged.
Sources:
- FIFA – official announcement on three-minute hydration breaks at the 2026 World Cup (link)
- FIFA – Gianni Infantino's statement on the reasons for introducing hydration breaks and tournament data during the competition (link)
- FIFA – official schedule, results, stadiums and format of the tournament with 104 matches (link)
- FIFPRO – guidelines and mitigation measures for playing professional football in hot conditions (link)
- World Weather Attribution – analysis of climate risks, WBGT thresholds and the impact of climate change on the 2026 World Cup (link)
- The Guardian – analysis of group-stage matches played in potentially dangerous heat and FIFPRO's reactions (link)
- National Weather Service – current warnings and general overview of dangerous heat in the central and eastern USA (link)
- National Weather Service Philadelphia/Mount Holly – local forecast of dangerously hot and humid conditions for the period from July 01 to July 04, 2026 (link)
- National Weather Service Kansas City/Pleasant Hill – local warnings of extreme heat and heat risk for the wider Kansas City area (link)