Canada’s Maxime Crepeau helps assistant referee Humberto Panjoj in Kansas (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
CONMEBOL described the impact of global warming on athletes’ health as “a critical issue”, saying “rising temperatures because of climate change pose significant threats to players”.
The organising body issued a set of directives to address exertional heat stroke in soccer. They included medical screenings to identify players at risk of heat stroke, a recommendation that players are allowed to adapt gradually to the heat for 10-14 days, and emphasising the importance of hydration and sleep.
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Explained: How Copa America is handling ‘oppressive’ heat
“There is a reason they play American football in the fall,” says DePodwin, who leads a team of 45 AccuWeather meteorologists from the firm’s headquarters in Pennsylvania. The organisation advises half of Fortune 500 businesses and provides forecasts to millions of people via its website and app.
“It has been a very hot summer in the U.S. and I think it will rank among the hottest ever,” he says. “It’s certainly a global trend for much hotter periods, but the Copa America will have increased visibility of how we are affected in the U.S. A lot of the places where they played games get extremely hot and while many of the stadiums had retractable roofs, not all did.”
High humidity, DePodwin says, has compounded the effect of those soaring temperatures. It is one of the elements AccuWeather uses in their ‘Real Feel’ ranking, which also includes temperature, wind speed and sun angle to give a more comprehensive forecast of how the weather actually feels.
“There are plenty of afternoons in Miami, where they had the final, where the Real Feel is 100 degrees,” he says.
DePodwin says starting games in the morning or late evening would help. “But we know that in the group stages of a tournament like the World Cup, that might not always be possible.”
Regardless, he says lessons should be learned from this summer, particularly by those venues that hosted matches and will host again for next summer’s Club World Cup or the 2026 World Cup. “It’s important these venues have a plan to deal with heat and thunderstorms, which bring lightning, damaging winds and rain as well.
“There are certainly risks of further delays or postponements. FIFA must think about the exertions on athletes in those conditions, but also other places, such as how fans in fan parks and gatherings before games are vulnerable to the elements.”
Rain delayed Manchester City against Barcelona in Orlando (Rich Storry/Getty Images)
Another potential hazard could be poor air quality. “There have been many occasions in the last few years where wildfire smoke has caused dangerous air quality across parts of the United States,” he adds. “For instance, in June 2023, there were several days of hazardous air quality in the north-east U.S. which cancelled many sporting events and other outdoor activities.
“If a similar situation were to occur during the World Cup, delays or cancellations might result.”
Does he think, then, that major tournaments should increasingly be held at times of the year other than summer — such as the 2022 World Cup in Qatar?
“It’s an interesting topic of discussion,” he says. “Even having something like the World Cup start in September would help, but there’s obviously then an impact on all the domestic seasons for each nation.”
Asked about the impact of weather ahead of the World Cup, a FIFA spokesperson told The Athletic: “We have studied extensive historical weather data throughout our planning efforts and continue to monitor the weather trends ahead of 2026.
“As noted during the schedule announcement earlier this year, FIFA will seek to increase the prospect of favorable playing and spectating conditions for teams and fans (considering such factors like heat forecasts, for example) via kick-off times, which will be added following the final draw near the end of 2025.”
Even their detractors would concede that FIFA cannot control the weather. But, along with every other stakeholder who wants the 2026 World Cup to be a resounding success, a lot of planning will be needed.
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(Top photo: The scoreboard at Camping World Stadium before Manchester City played Barcelona in Orlando, Florida; by Rich Storry via Getty Images)
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Publish date : 2024-08-01 23:00:00
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