Summer football is understood to be a rather tall order given the conditions that teams must play in, but the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States poses a real threat. Reports from Yahoo Sports journalist Henry Bushnell stated that hundreds of fans packed into a narrow, shadeless corridor in 92-degree heat (33°C) waiting to enter Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, just before the opening match between Al Ahly and Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
An elderly man staggered toward a chair; a preteen boy later keeled over and doused himself with water. One of the fans waiting outside, a woman, said that they were on the verge of passing out and unsuccessfully tried to get the guards manning the gate to open it early.
Paris Saint-Germain FC v Club Atletico de Madrid: Group B - FIFA Club World Cup 2025 Photo by Alex Pantling - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
Over in Pasadena, Paris Saint-Germain dispatched Atletico Madrid 4-0. It can be considered a fiery display, but according to PSG coach Luis Enrique the only thing that was fiery that day was the heat. “The teams are suffering”, the Champions League winner quipped. Atlético midfielder Marcos Llorente told reporters that “it’s impossible, it’s terribly hot. My toes were sore, my toenails were hurting, I couldn’t stop and start. … It’s unbelievable.” PSG’s Vitinha shared the same sentiment: “I’m all red. It was really difficult.” Other players too voiced their concerns over the atmosphere wherein the games were played.
The concern here is that the 2026 World Cup, which will be played across Canada, Mexico, and the United States in the same period as the CWC right now, will likely subject all the national teams to this unbearable heat. Of the 16 stadiums across three nations, only five have roofs while the other 11 are open air stadiums; seven of which will experience temperatures in the 90s until the end of the month.
FC Bayern München v Auckland City FC: Group C - FIFA Club World Cup 2025 What’s more hot? Bayern dominance or the temperature inside the stadiums?
Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images
You may remember the time when Austria beat Switzerland 7-5 in Lausanne in the 1954 World Cup, that match was played with a temperature of 40°C/104°F. It thus earned the nickname Hitzeschlacht von Lausanne (roughly translated to “The heat battle of Lausanne”). Similarly, in 1970 when Mexico hosted the same tournament and again in 1986, the high altitude, thin atmosphere, and boiling temperatures persisted throughout both World Cups. Having to defend against Pele and Maradona or trying to get past Franz Beckenbauer was already difficult, but playing in those conditions? Tough.
Being someone who lives between the tropics, such temperatures are the norm here; we just adopt and adjust with varying degrees of success. It’s too late to change World Cup hosts now, so it’s all about managing the conditions of the players to make sure their wellbeing is not compromised.