Experts found co-hosts Mexico - winner of their four matches and used to playing in sticky heat - produce the least amount of sweat per match with 23,853ml
15:37, 01 Jul 2026Updated 15:42, 01 Jul 2026
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Hydration breaks have been a big story during this World Cup - but it gives the sweaty players a chance to cool down
The World Cup is proving to be no sweat for Mexico as data analysis shows their players perspire the least in the heat. Experts at digital number cruncher GIGAcalculator gathered height, weight and age data for all 731 players still competing at the round of 32.
They found co-hosts Mexico - winner of their four matches and used to playing in sticky heat - produce the least amount of sweat per match with 23,853ml. That is over two litres less per game than the sweatiest team - Erling Haaland’s Norway.
They produce 25,900ml per match, enough liquid to keep 10 of their fans hydrated for a full day. Their heaviest sweater is midfielder Sander Berge who loses an estimated 2,634ml in 90 minutes - that is 104% of what a typical Norwegian fan needs to drink in a day.
Erling Haaland scored twice as Norway beat Iraq 4-1
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Sander Berge and Erling Haaland are both near the top of the charts for sweatiness(Image: (Photo by Maddie Meyer - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images))
Haaland is Norway’s fourth sweatiest and inside the tournament’s top 15 perspirers. England rank 13th out of 32 nations with an estimated 25,038 ml of sweat per match.
Chelsea’s 6ft 7in Belgian goalkeeper Mike Penders, 20, produces the most sweat of any individual player at 2,760ml per match.
That is more than the average Belgian fan drinks in a day.
A Norway vs Belgium clash would be the sweatiest possible fixture in the tournament - generating 51,725 ml combined.
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Mike Penders
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Mike Penders has been rated as the sweatiest World Cup player(Image: Getty Images)
Boffins estimate the remaining matches will produce 1,500 litres of sweat. A spokesman for the analysts said: “While fans stick to their sofas at home or glisten in the stands the players are sweating out literal buckets on the pitch - some teams significantly more than others.”
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