World Cup 2026: Players and fans at risk from extreme heat

Added: 2026-05-16

[00:00:00]The last World Cup in the US back in 94 may be best remembered for Roberto Bagio's missed penalty.

[00:00:08]But for the players on the pitch, it was often a battle against stifling heat.

[00:00:12]Since then, the chance of players and fans facing extreme heat conditions has spiked, and we've got a near doubling of the chance of games taking place in conditions that FIFA Pro say are unsafe for playing.

[00:00:25]>> This is a wet bulb uh globe temperature thermometer. um it is the type of thermometer that the study uh predictions were based off of. This is a better measure for heat stress because standard thermometers don't take account of humidity. Think about a uh a hot day which is dry. You can sweat a lot and therefore your risk of developing heat illness is lower. However, if the you have the same temperature with a higher humidity, your your body's ability to lose heat via sweat is diminished and so your risk of heat illness is increased.

[00:00:58]Whilst three of the 16 stadiums are airond conditioned and this will shield a lot of game play from the worst extreme heat, it's still more likely than not that in this tournament, one game without air conditioning will be affected by extreme heat that the players union says is unsafe for gameplay. At the predicted levels, players physical and cognitive performance will be impaired. And even these elite athletes will be at increased risk of heat illness. And it's not just the players. Every host city is planning an open air fan festival where supporters will be exposed to the elements during the day. It's really striking to see how much the likelihood of extreme heat has shifted in 30 years.

[00:01:43]And if we don't slash emissions and address this problem, it's entirely possible that future outdoor gameplay will simply not be feasible in much of the northern hemisphere's summer.