Extreme heat, storms take toll at Club World Cup
Borussia Dortmund took the unusual step of leaving their substitutes in the dressing room for the first half of their game against Mamelodi Sundowns in Cincinnati, rather than have them sitting on the bench in blazing sunshine.
Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca meanwhile cut short his team's training session in Philadelphia on Monday as the City of Brotherly Love baked in temperatures of 99 degrees Fahrenheit (37.2 degrees Celsisu).
Dortmund coach Niko Kovac, meanwhile, said the weather could ultimately shape the destiny of the tournament.
"I think that this tournament will be decided not by the best team, but the team that can adapt to these weather conditions the best. They will probably win this tournament," Kovac said.
While cooling breaks midway through each half have become standard during the tournament, Dortmund, like other teams, are taking extra steps to mitigate the brutal heat and humidity.
"Our boys are very well taken care of by our doctors and the medical staff," Kovac said.
"We have very cold towels. We put them in ice baths. The boys also need to cool down their legs and their feet in cold water and ice baths."
The experience of the Club World Cup is likely a preview of what can be expected at next year's men's World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
A recent study published by the International Journal of Biometeorology warned of the risk posed by extreme heat at the tournament for players and spectators, citing climate change as a cause of "extreme heat" events that were "more frequent and intense".
Storm disruptions
The study concluded that 14 of the 16 host cities being used for the 2026 World Cup experienced temperatures that frequently exceeded the commonly accepted safe thresholds for wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT) -- a widely used measure for heat stress.
The study argued for games to be scheduled outside of the afternoon windows when conditions were typically at their most fierce.
In addition to the brutal heat and humidity, teams at the Club World Cup have also had to deal with matches being halted due to the threat of lightning.
On Tuesday, Boca Juniors' game against Auckland City became the fifth match of the tournament to experience a lengthy delay due to public safety regulations used in the United States that mandate play is halted whenever lightning is within 10 miles (16.1 kilometres) of a stadium.
A weather delay in Benfica's game against Auckland led to an interruption in play of nearly two hours.
National Weather Service official Ben Schott, who advises FIFA and the US World Cup taskforce for 2026, says the kind of weather affecting the ongoing competition is not out of the ordinary, and said teams and fans next year should plan accordingly.
"Nothing that we're seeing right now is unusual even though we are breaking records," Schott told AFP.
"Most of the eastern United States is breaking records, and then that happens almost every summer. To expect something similar next year as a possibility is something that people should prepare for if you're going to come and enjoy the games."
While roasting heat was an issue when the United States last hosted the World Cup finals in 1994, no games at that tournament were halted by storm warnings.
That is due to increasingly sophisticated forecasting technology, Schott said.
"We're at a point now where we can start to see things almost a week in advance and predict them pretty accurately, as compared to 15-20 years ago," Schott said. "The advances in meteorology since we last had the World Cup here in 1994 have been substantial."
Schott said thunder and lightning were "par for the course" in several regions of North America.
"This is pretty typical for United States weather for this time of the year," Schott said.
"We get a lot of moisture that pumps in from the Gulf of Mexico, and they get the afternoon thunderstorms pop up.
"So as we move towards World Cup 2026, things that we're seeing right now would be quite typical to be seen again."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
LeMonde
4 hours ago
- LeMonde
Wildfires threaten Turkey's fourth-largest city as southern Europe grapples with blazes
Wildfires that have engulfed Turkey for weeks threatened the country's fourth-largest city on Sunday, July 27, forcing more than 3,500 people to flee their homes and leaving two people dead. Greece, Bulgaria and Montenegro are also battling blazes fed by unusually high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds. Overnight fires in the forested mountains surrounding Bursa, in northwest Turkey, spread rapidly, tinting the night sky over the city's eastern suburbs with a red glow. Dozens of severe wildfires have hit the country daily since late June, with the government declaring the two western provinces of Izmir and Bilecik as disaster areas on Friday. Forestry Minister Ibrahim Yumakli told reporters late Sunday that 3,515 people had been safely evacuated from villages to the northeast of Bursa as more than 1,900 firefighters battled the flames. The highway linking Bursa to the capital, Ankara, was closed as surrounding forests burned. 'Apocalypse' A firefighter died from a heart attack while on the job, the city's mayor, Mustafa Bozbey, said, adding that the flames had scorched 3,000 hectares (7,413 acres) around the city. One person was killed and two seriously injured when a water tanker fell into a ravine outside Bursa, local media reported. Orhan Saribal, an opposition parliamentarian for the province, described the scene as "an apocalypse." By morning, lessening winds brought some respite to firefighters, who continued efforts to battle the flames. However, TV footage revealed an ashen landscape where farms and pine forests had earlier stood. Yumakli said fire crews across the country confronted 84 separate blazes Saturday. The country's northwest was under the greatest threat, including Karabuk, where wildfires have burned since Tuesday and 1,839 people have been evacuated from 19 villages. Aside from Bursa and Karabuk, a major fire was raging in Kahramanmaras, southern Turkey, the minister said, warning that growing winds could suddenly reignite fires not properly watered down after being extinguished. Beleagured firefighters and rescue workers saved thousands of livestock and pets that had been left behind in the rush to evacuate threatened areas. Local media also showed images of workers assisting wildlife caught among the fires. Unseasonably high temperatures, dry conditions and strong winds have been fueling the wildfires. The General Directorate of Meteorology said Turkey recorded its highest ever temperature of 50.5° Celsius (122.9° Fahrenheit) in the southeastern Sirnak province on Friday. The highest temperatures for July were seen in 132 other locations, it said. Fifteen people have died in recent weeks, including 10 rescue volunteers and forestry workers killed Wednesday in a fire in Eskisehir in western Turkey. Justice Minister Yilmaz Tunc said late Saturday that prosecutors had investigated fires in 33 provinces since June 26, and that legal action had been taken against 97 suspects. Code red warning On Bulgaria's southern borders with Greece and Turkey, as well as the western Serbian frontier, firefighters battled wildfires as the government declared the worst-hit provinces disaster zones. Residents across nearly half the country were issued with a code red warning, the highest level. National Fire Service chief Alexander Djartov told reporters that 236 wildfires were burning, many fanned by strong winds. The government had asked EU partners for help, he added, and aircraft were expected from the Czech Republic, Slovakia, France, Hungary and Sweden later Sunday. In the southwestern Strumyani region, overnight blazes forced firefighters to retreat. They were reinforced Sunday by soldiers. Dozens of people fled their homes in the western Tran region as flames threatened villages near the Serbian border.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
Spain's pioneers 'knocking down walls' with run to Euro 2025 final
Experienced Barcelona defender Paredes was referring to the development of the women's game since Spain's triumph at the World Cup in 2023, when they defeated England 1-0 in the title decider. Her team now have the opportunity to add a first ever European crown to the World Cup, and in doing so allow Spain to hold the both the women's and men's continental titles at the same time. "Firm steps have been taken but I think we need to keep opening doors and normalising the situation," Paredes said in Basel, where Sunday's final will be played. "A lot of walls were knocked down with our victory" in 2023, she added. "Now more and more people look up to us, but we still have some way to go." Spain's victory over England in the World Cup final was quickly overshadowed by different headlines, after a forced kiss by the country's football federation chief Luis Rubiales on player Jenni Hermoso as the team prepared to lift the trophy. Rubiales was eventually fined 10,800 euros ($11,670) for sexual assault in February this year. Montse Tome replaced Jorge Vilda as coach in the aftermath of that tournament, and she believes her team -- led by reigning Ballon d'Or Aitana Bonmati -- would be deserving European Championship winners. "As a team we have been fighting and working so hard in so many areas and we have managed to get everyone to just focus on the football, which is what matters," she said. "All the questions now are focused on football and that shows you the changes we have achieved." Tome insisted that neither she nor her team were feeling the pressure despite the high stakes at St Jakob-Park, with Spain already having made history on their run to the final. It is their first ever appearance in the final of a women's senior European Championship, achieved after a narrow last-four victory against Germany -- a team they had never previously beaten. "I am not thinking about pressure, just about all the history we have made during the tournament," she said, insisting that getting to the final was Spain's main goal in Switzerland. "At the beginning our aim was to play six games and we are going to do that, but England are the current European champions and we will just try to compete with them and enjoy it." It will be the third meeting of the teams in 2025, with Spain and England managing one win apiece during the recent UEFA Nations League campaign.
France 24
a day ago
- France 24
England ready to meet challenge of 'fantastic' Spain in Euro 2025 final
"Tomorrow we play a game against the world champions who continue to prove themselves over and over in the way that they play football," Williamson told reporters at Basel's St Jakob-Park on the eve of the game. "They are a fantastic footballing team, they are the best at what they do, and we are very much aware of that but we think we are pretty good in some areas as well. "We need to be at our best to beat Spain but I think they will need to be at their best to beat us too. "I think there is a lot of respect between the two teams, and I'd be hesitant to say we are underdogs in this scenario." England are hoping to retain the European Championship title they won on home soil in 2022, but the match is also a repeat of the 2023 World Cup final, in which Spain triumphed 1-0 in Sydney. There is a growing rivalry between the nations, with England winning in extra time when they clashed in the quarter-finals at Euro 2022. The sides have also already faced each other twice this year in the UEFA Nations League, with England winning 1-0 at Wembley in February. Spain avenged that result by claiming a 2-1 victory in Barcelona at the beginning of last month, when Claudia Pina scored twice after Alessia Russo had given England the lead. "We have played each other a lot over the last couple of years and I think you always have learnings from the games we have played," said England coach Sarina Wiegman. "Tomorrow is a new situation where we have an opportunity to hopefully take out their strengths a bit and exploit some of their weaknesses too." England have been sweating on the fitness of Lauren James for the final after she came off with an ankle injury during the last-four win over Italy, but Wiegman indicated that the winger is in line to feature on Sunday. "We had 23 players on the pitch today and everyone came through," said the Dutch coach. Chloe Kelly and young striker Michelle Agyemang are pushing for starts after making impacts off the bench in the comeback wins against both Sweden and Italy in the last two rounds. Williamson, though, believes James has a lot to offer. "We have a team of talented players. Lauren brings something slightly different, obviously having her available is the best-case scenario," said the Arsenal centre-back.
