Does U.S. weather have FIFA concerned about 2026 World Cup? Here's what we know

USA Today

a day ago

When FIFA dubiously awarded the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, it gave a country with no sporting history or infrastructure the right to host soccer's biggest event in an extreme summer climate. But Qatar's brutal heat became such a concern that FIFA ultimately shook up the calendar and moved the tournament to winter.
Looking ahead to the 2026 World Cup in the U.S., Mexico and Canada, weather is once again becoming a concern. And we're seeing those challenges play out at the 2025 Club World Cup.
But is FIFA going to consider a massive upheaval to the scheduling for 2026's tournament? Here's what we know so far.
Weather has impacted the Club World Cup
While early kickoffs and high prices in NFL stadiums have contributed to lackluster attendance for many Club World Cup matches, the weather hasn't helped either.
Out of the 12 Club World Cup venues, Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium is the only one with a roof. This has largely forced players to play in summer heat that they aren't accustomed to — particularly those from the major European leagues. It also hasn't helped that the Northeast U.S. experienced a significant heat wave during the tournament.
Chelsea's match against Flamengo in Philadelphia was 97°F at kickoff with a heat index in the 100s. Borussia Dortmund players described Cincinnati's weather like playing in a sauna. And while midday summer thunderstorms are common in the Southeast and Florida, they can be disruptive. The Club World Cup has already seen several long weather delays due to lightning.
Now, it's important to note that seven Club World Cup venues won't be utilized in the World Cup. There will also be five stadiums with roofs in 2026 as opposed to just one in Atlanta. But players are still concerned.
What players are saying
Soccer's global players union, FIFPRO, is asking FIFA to abandon the afternoon kickoffs in the 2026 World Cup due to heat concerns.
And though the five indoor stadiums will offer relief, FIFPRO did classify the open-air stadiums in Miami, Kansas City and Monterrey as "extremely high risk." Boston, Philadelphia and Guadalajara were listed as "very high risk."
The union said via The Athletic:
Professor Dr Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO's medical director, told reporters on a Zoom call on Monday: 'From our research, a couple of cities and some matches on the ongoing Club World Cup can be labelled as having a higher risk for heat-related illness, or, in the worst case, extreme high risk for heat related illness.
'There are certain areas in a country that will be more at risk. So think about match destinations such as Orlando or Miami, for example, where you can see over a period of years that there's a higher risk attached to these venues and destinations.
'The question is, if we look at match scheduling and match planning ahead of the tournament, if we actually need midday kick-off times in these locations or in these high-risk areas — if we should probably move towards late kick-off times as a preferences for these venues.'
The World Cup final is slated to be played at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, which FIFPRO calls "high risk."
What is FIFA saying?
Though discussions are ongoing between FIFA and FIFPRO, there does not seem to be any immediate plans to shift kickoff times or venues.
And as right now, New Jersey expects the 2026 World Cup final to kick off at 3 p.m. Eastern Time, which is the traditional local time kickoff for the final match.
New Jersey governor Phil Murphy said:
'I don't want to speak for FIFA, and obviously they call the shots, but I think they're circling in and around 3 p.m. New Jersey time for the World Cup final on July 19,' Murphy told The Athletic by phone on Tuesday.
FIFA also commented about the weather via USA TODAY:
'FIFA's top priority is the health of everyone involved in football,' a spokesman said. 'FIFA will continue to monitor the weather conditions to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone involved.'
This late in the process, it would be almost unheard of for FIFA to shake up the hosting cities or change venues. But there are seven indoor stadiums (Arizona, Detroit, Minneapolis, Las Vegas, New Orleans, Indianapolis and San Antonio) that were not chosen to host World Cup matches.
FIFA has plenty of options when it comes to the tournament in U.S. weather. We'll have to see what FIFA chooses to do about it.