Extreme heat risks at the 2026 World Cup

Extreme heat risks at the 2026 World Cup

Ap

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, July 17, 2025, p. a10

Geneva. Soccer suffered unspeakably in the heat at the recently concluded Club World Cup in the United States, a stifling preview of what players and fans could face at the 2026 World Cup, which the country will host alongside Mexico and Canada.

With global temperatures rising, scientists warn that hosting this and other soccer tournaments in the Northern Hemisphere summer is becoming increasingly dangerous for both players and spectators. Some suggest FIFA should consider adjusting the soccer calendar to reduce the risk of heat-related illnesses.

The further into the decade we go, the greater the risk will be without considering more drastic measures, such as playing in the winter months and/or at cooler latitudes , said Professor Piers Forster, director of the Priestley Centre for Climate Futures in Leeds, England. I am increasingly concerned that we are just one heatwave away from a sporting tragedy and would like to see governing bodies rely on climate and health science , he added.

National team football in June and July is a tradition that dates back to the first World Cup in 1930.

Since then, the three-month period of June, July, and August has warmed globally by 1.05 degrees Celsius (1.89 degrees Fahrenheit), according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Meanwhile, European summer temperatures have increased by 1.81 degrees Celsius. The rate of warming has accelerated since the 1990s.

Scientists on the subject say this is a factor that should be considered when playing high-intensity outdoor sports like soccer.

If you want to play football for 10 hours a day, it will have to be in the early morning and evening hours, or you don't want players and fans to die of heat exhaustion or become seriously ill , said climatologist Friederike Otto of Imperial College London.

High temperatures and thunderstorms

Extreme heat and thunderstorms impacted the expanded Club World Cup, which was held in 11 U.S. cities from June 14 to July 13.

FIFA adapted by adjusting its extreme heat protocol to include additional breaks in play, more water at pitchside, and cooling team benches with air vents and more shade.

▲ During the Club World Cup that concluded last week in the United States, high temperatures forced hydration breaks. Due to the extreme heat, several players reported feeling dizzy. AP and AFP photos

Still, Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez said the heat made him dizzy and urged FIFA to avoid afternoon matches at next year's World Cup.

The global football players' union, FIFpro, has warned that six of the 16 cities hosting the 2026 World Cup are at extremely high risk of heat stress.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino addressed concerns about high temperatures on Saturday, saying the handful of World Cup stadiums that are covered would be used for daytime matches next year.

Extreme heat could become an even bigger challenge at the 2030 World Cup, which will be hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, as all three countries have already seen temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius this summer.

FIFA downplayed the risk of heat in its internal assessment of the World Cup bid, saying that weather conditions are difficult to predict given current global and local climate developments, but are unlikely to affect the health of players or other participants .

The physical effects of playing 90 minutes of soccer in direct sunlight during the hottest part of the day can be severe and lead to hyperthermia, abnormally high body temperatures.

When players experience hyperthermia, they also have an increase in cardiovascular strain , said Julien Périard of the University of Canberra. If core temperature rises too high, exertional illness can occur, leading to muscle cramps, exhaustion and even life-threatening heat stroke .

Many summer sports events adjust their kickoff times to early morning or late evening to minimize the risk of heat-related illnesses; however, morning games are unusual in soccer, where game times are often set with European television audiences in mind.

It would be difficult for FIFA to avoid daytime matches at the World Cup given the tight match schedule, as the number of participating teams is set to increase from 32 to 48 in 2026.

Sheinbaum confirms that the World Cup opening ceremony will be at the Azteca Stadium.

Erendira Palma Hernández

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, July 17, 2025, p. a11

After several years of promises and with the 2026 World Cup looming, timeshare ownership is beginning to disappear in Mexican soccer with the sale of Querétaro—which belonged to Grupo Caliente—and the future transaction of Atlas—Grupo Orlegi, owned by Alejandro Irarragorri—although other owners remain with shares in different teams, such as Grupo Salinas—owner of Mazatlán, Puebla, and an investor in Atlas.

The final straw is that they're taking measures so late, because timeshares are prohibited by FIFA, as they lend themselves to many things, including malpractice. Unfortunately, Mexican soccer authorities allowed or condoned it; many even boasted of owning up to three clubs. "They're finally taking steps (to eradicate it) ," said Rafael Lebrija, a former director of the Mexican soccer team.

The decision to begin ending this practice comes in a peculiar context, just after FIFA rejected León's participation in the Club World Cup due to its membership in Grupo Pachuca—owner of Tuzos and the Spanish club Real Oviedo—and with one year to go until the World Cup, which Mexico will host along with the United States and Canada.

It's striking that all of this is happening before the World Cup, when these are issues that have been around for a long time in Mexico. It seems to be a mandate to comply with FIFA pressure , said Francisco San José, a marketing professor at the School of Sports Sciences at Anáhuac University, who sees these moves as part of a strategy to project a positive image leading up to the 2026 World Cup.

The sale of Querétaro and Atlas coincides with a series of factors that had affected both teams. Los Gallos were involved in the 2022 brawl at Corregidora Stadium, when the franchise was in the process of transferring from Grupo Caliente to Gabriel Solares and Manuel Velarde.

Thus, Grupo Caliente, which belongs to the Hank Rhon family, controlled the Tijuana, Querétaro and Dorados teams, the latter from the Expansion League, and also owns an online betting house and a streaming television channel, which was recently acquired by Fox Corporation.

Now, Gabriel Solares, who was even banned for five years after the brawl, acted as a contact for American businessman Mark Spiegel to purchase the Gallos franchise.

Foreign investment is no longer a new phenomenon; it has been seen with Necaxa and Atlético de San Luis. This could bring a new management model to Mexican soccer, as has been the case with Cancún FC (owned by American Jeff Luhnow and the Blue Crow sports consortium), a team that changed its logo and offers fans an innovative stadium experience , San José added.

Grupo Orlegi, which also owns Santos, is embroiled in controversy, as Alejandro Irarragorri is under investigation for alleged tax fraud of more than 17 million pesos. This situation led the businessman to appoint his 25-year-old son, Aleco, as president of the regional club.

While they are different teams, Atlas has more tradition than Santos, is in a more populated city like Guadalajara, and could have a larger fan base; that's perhaps why it's a more valuable brand, making it attractive not only as an investment but also as a capitalization , the marketing expert noted.

Even though FMF executives issued ultimatums in the previous decade to eradicate timeshares, it grew to the point where there were four companies with different teams in the Liga MX, with the Orlegi, Caliente, Pachuca, and Salinas groups.

We'll have to see what future moves other players will make, such as Pachuca and Salinas, who owned Atlas and has shares in Grupo Orlegi, so he could continue to have influence in other clubs , San José said.

Karla Torrijos

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, July 17, 2025, p. a11

While negotiations with Argentine club Newell's for Costa Rican goalkeeper Keylor Navas to join Pumas failed, the auriazul team yesterday introduced its newest signing: Colombian Álvaro Angulo, who stated that coach Efraín Juárez was key in his decision to enter Mexican soccer, after both were crowned champions with Atlético Nacional de Medellín in the Dimayor League.

He's a manager who knows how to exploit my strengths. We did very well at Atlético Nacional, and I hope we can do the same here. I want to be a champion and make history at this beautiful club ," the full-back said during his presentation at La Cantera.

Coming from Independiente de Avellaneda in Argentina, the Colombian also praised Juárez's work. "His key is that he knows how to manage a squad in the locker room, and he gives us confidence. At Atlético, the success was that he had a good team that played very well. Wherever he goes, he wants to be a champion, and that's what he's instilling in us ," he commented.

He also indicated that his main goal with Pumas is to win the championship and perform well to earn a spot with his national team for the 2026 World Cup.

"What motivated me to come is that I like challenges. When I arrived at Nacional, I hadn't won a title in a long time, and I won five. At Independiente, we reached a semifinal. My reason for being at Pumas is to win everything, and that should be the team's mentality.

"I'm very excited to play, to experience Liga MX on the field, because I watch the games. My first goal is to win the championship with Pumas, and second, I want to be in the World Cup. To do that, I have to push myself twice as hard. I'll fight for this institution in every game I play ," said Angulo, who could play in the second match of the 2025 Apertura, this Sunday against Pachuca.

On the other hand, after several days of speculation, Newell's Old Boys president Ignacio Astore confirmed yesterday that no agreement had been reached for Navas and ruled out continuing negotiations with Pumas.

After the signing failed to materialize, there is speculation that the feline team could pursue Colombian national team goalkeeper David Ospina.

Regarding this, Eduardo Saracho, the club's Director of Sports Strategy, confirmed that they are still looking for a starting goalkeeper; however, he made it clear that they trust the youth goalkeepers. "Apart from (Rodrigo) Parra, we have Pablo Lara, who is currently injured, but he's the starter for the U-20 team. He's going to play in a World Cup at his age level, and we need someone who can support them ," he asserted.

Absolute champions

▲ The Pachuca Tuzas confirmed their strong run of football by winning the 2024-2025 Champion of Champions title with a 1-0 victory over the Monterrey Rayadas yesterday at Toyota Field in San Antonio, Texas. The Hidalgo team secured the valuable victory thanks to a powerful cross shot from Nina Nicosia in the 53rd minute. Photo @TuzosFemenil

La Jornada Newspaper, Thursday, July 17, 2025, p. a11