'Fifa should consider playing World Cup final at 9am'

BBC News

30-06-2025

Extreme weather during the Club World Cup in the United States this summer means Fifa should think about playing the men's World Cup final at 9am next year, according to an expert.Professor Mike Tipton of Portsmouth University, a leading specialist on the effect of extreme temperature on the human body, was asked by BBC Sport how football's governing body should handle a heatwave at next year's tournament.Like many, Tipton has been struck by the brutal conditions that players have been exposed to in some matches at the Club World Cup in the US, and which have underlined the potential threat facing Fifa's 2026 showpiece when it returns to the same country at the same time of year.Last week saw the summer's first major heatwave descend on eastern North America, with dozens of people hospitalised for heat-related illnesses. In New York on 24 June, for instance, the temperature rocketed to 39C - a record for June.The MetLife Stadium just outside the city is due to stage eight matches at the World Cup, including the final itself. Like most of the other venues across the US, Canada and Mexico, it has no roof and there is limited shade for those inside. Kick-off times for all fixtures will only be revealed after December's draw, but insiders told BBC Sport they expect matches in the eastern time zone to start at noon, 15:00, 18:00 and 21:00 local time - with all-important European audiences and the interests of broadcasters, advertisers and sponsors in mind.Tipton - who works with Team GB athletes including triathlete Jonny Brownlee since his collapse from heat exhaustion in Mexico in 2016 - argues that if there is a repeat of the conditions seen over the past 10 days, rescheduling to a morning slot would be the best and safest solution, even for the World Cup final."I'd move it to an air-conditioned stadium with a roof, and preferably to a cooler time of the year," he said."But we're already stuck with this, so the only thing you can do is go to a cooler time of day. From a thermal-physiological perspective, for both health and performance reasons, I'd be looking to start games as early as possible - but I understand the logistical caveats," he added, acknowledging the task of getting tens of thousands of fans inside a stadium so early in the day."The health risks are not purely to the players, it's also the officials and spectators, many of whom are much, much less fit. If you continue in conditions when all the rational scientific data says 'stop', organisers are taking on a fair amount of responsibility. What would probably happen is the game would be changed radically. "Fifa should be thinking about where, when and how they play such games. It's not beyond the realms that matches have to go to quarters rather than halves."
'Wake-up call'
While such suggestions may seem far-fetched to some, a more flexible approach is something global players' union Fifpro is now calling for after what it calls the "wake-up call" of the Club World Cup.At a news conference on Monday, its medical director Dr Vincent Gouttebarge said extended half-time breaks of 20 minutes in extreme heat to keep players' core temperatures within their normal range should be considered.Alexander Bielefeld, Fifpro's director of policy, claimed the weather was of "increasing concern", and that while postponing matches for heat was "slightly trickier" than in a domestic league "we clearly believe that from a health and safety perspective this is something that must take priority over commercial interests."Fifa guidelines currently rely on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), a measure of heat stress combining temperature and humidity. If the WBGT exceeds 32C, short 'cooling breaks' are mandatory in both halves of a match. In contrast, Fifpro believes breaks should be introduced once the WBGT goes above 28C, and that if it exceeds 32C matches should be delayed. On this basis, so far at the Club World Cup both PSG v Atletico Madrid in Pasadena and Chelsea v ES Tunis in Philadelphia "should have been postponed to a better place in the day and, if not available (another slot), then rescheduled"."We are partially happy, because Fifa have been quite responsive once the tournament was underway [and] have actually modified how they've been dealing with heat during matches, based on our input," said Fifpro general secretary Alex Phillips. "Obviously it would have been better if that had happened in advance, but they've put in place measures such as additional water and towels around the pitch."There's a question at some point [over] what the industry sees as a precautionary threshold to players, but also to spectators, to potentially delay kick-off later on. You can apply so many pragmatic measures, such as shading, hydration, cooling, etc. At some point, that probably won't be enough. And that's a discussion which we need to have, even though this is a difficult conversation based on commercial interests."Earlier this year, researchers from Queen's University Belfast warned the temperatures at 14 of the 16 stadiums being used for the 2026 World Cup could exceed potentially dangerous levels, with Miami and Monterrey posing the greatest risk as they do not have air-conditioned stadiums. Fifpro says any afternoon kick-offs at six venues; Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey, Houston, Dallas and Atlanta carry an "extremely high-risk" of a "heat-stress injury". Only two; San Francisco and Vancouver are rated "low-risk".While Dallas and Houston do have cooling systems, it said there was still a risk to spectators if games were played in the afternoon. Significantly, the report also suggested afternoon games be avoided in New York, along with Kansas City, Boston and Philadelphia.When asked if Fifpro will make recommendations to Fifa before the World Cup when it comes to kick-off times at certain venues, Phillips said, "We have absolutely no power to force them to, we can only use informal pressure. "We will use common sense arguments. We can use the MLS [Major League Soccer] protocols. They don't play matches at midday in Florida, for example, and haven't done for a number of years. So those kind of arguments are strong."However, with more matches next year (104) than at any previous World Cup, Fifa may feel its ability to adapt scheduling and postpone matches is limited.
Lessons from 1994
The dangers of playing in high temperatures in the US have been known for some time.In 2017, England forward Rachel Daly was treated for heat exhaustion in hospital after collapsing during a match in Houston, while playing in the National Women's Soccer League. And during last year's Copa America, Guatemalan assistant referee Humberto Panjoj had to be withdrawn from a game in Kansas City after collapsing on the field.But the heat seems to have been a constant theme throughout the Club World Cup. Last week Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said it was "impossible" to organise normal training sessions amid a severe "code red" warning in Philadelphia, where 45% humidity made 37C feel a roasting 45C. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund's substitutes watched the first half of their match against Mamelodi Sundowns in Cincinnati from the dressing room, with manager Niko Kovac likening conditions to "a sauna".Someone who has also experienced such conditions is former Republic of Ireland goalkeeper Packie Bonner, who in 1994 played in a match against Mexico in Orlando that is still remembered for the intense 41C heat his team had to endure."It was unbelievable," he told BBC Sport. "Kick-off was at noon and we couldn't handle it at all. We were a high-pressing team and we couldn't do that. But also your decision-making was affected. Your brain goes into a fog."Bonner believes conditions next year will be "treacherous from a heat point of view".But he added that, unlike back then when Fifa only allowed water to be given to players on the touchline, they are now allowed to drink on the pitch."We didn't have all the things that they have now. Players now are a little bit more used to it, and as long as they're hydrated it shouldn't be a problem," he said.
'Climate change has loaded the dice'
So just how hot is next year's tournament across US, Canada and Mexico likely to be?"The hottest [so far] was USA 1994 where the temperatures in Florida and Texas were in excess of 38C," said senior BBC weather forecaster Simon King."The Qatar 2022 World Cup was moved from summer, where temperatures regularly reached 40-45C, to the cooler winter. Temperatures have been in the mid to high 30s in this latest US heatwave, but in some locations such as New York the 'heat index' (what it feels like when considering humidity too) would have felt like it was more than 50C outside. "Scientists are very clear that as our climate changes, extreme heat such as this are likely to become more frequent in the future. And the heatwaves could be hotter."In June 2023, an extreme heatwave was seen in Texas, Florida and Mexico for weeks. In Monterrey, Mexico the heat index was close to 50C and in Miami it was as high as 44C."While it is impossible to say a year ahead whether host cities like those will experience heatwave conditions, climate change has loaded the dice to an increasing chance of this happening. And if it does, it could feasibly be the hottest World Cup on record."While I can't say that it will be just as hot as one played in the Qatari summer, it's possible - if a heatwave occurred - that some games could be played in heat that would not be that dissimilar."
What does Fifa say?
In a statement, Fifa said its "top priority" is the health of everyone involved in football, and that its medical experts have advised Club World Cup teams on heat management and acclimatisation.A "sound, preventative concept" includes cooling breaks in the 30th and 75th minutes, the right to use five substitutions and an additional sub if a match goes into extra time. Additionally, as at next year's World Cup, all teams have a minimum of three rest days between matches to facilitate recovery.Meanwhile, fans "are welcome to bring empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles, up to one litre capacity into the stadiums, and local authorities may implement additional measures such as hydration reminders via stadium announcements, cooling buses and water stations. 'Beat the heat tips' will be shared with all ticket holders," the statement added.Fifa has faced criticism over its growing links with the fossil-fuel industry, and its decision to expand the 2026 World Cup to an unprecedented 48 teams has led some environmental campaigners to claim it is actually contributing to the climate change that may now be having an impact on its tournaments. The governing body has pledged to reduce its carbon emissions by 50% by 2030, and to achieve net zero emissions by 2040. But what seems clear is the issue of extreme heat is not going away. The majority of matches at the 2030 World Cup will be played in Spain, currently in the grip of its own heatwave.
Storm delays
It is not just the heat that could pose a threat to next year's tournament.On Sunday, Maresca said the decision to suspend his team's last-16 Club World Cup tie with Benfica in Charlotte for two hours because of extreme weather was "a joke", adding that the US is "probably not the right place" to host a major tournament.It was the sixth match of the competition suspended because of seasonal summer thunderstorms, in line with US safety regulations, and has obviously added to fears of similar disruption at next year's World Cup - with all the ramifications that could mean for players, fans and broadcasters.Interestingly, back in 1994 no matches at the World Cup were delayed by storm warnings, and while the US National Weather Service suggests this is due to advancements in forecasting technology and standardised safety regulations over the past 20 years, others think the weather may also be changing."Climate change will also bring more extreme weather like thunderstorms as warmer air holds more moisture and energy for more frequent thunderstorms," said King. "Studies show that for every 1C in global warming, there's a 12% increase in lightning."Whatever the reason, while such delays are rare in Europe, the chances of suspensions at World Cup matches next year appear considerable.In the last week alone, MLS matches between Columbus and Philadelphia, Colorado and LA, and Dallas and San Jose have all featured storm delays of up to two hours.Fifa may draw comfort from the fact that only one of the six match suspensions at the Club World Cup - at the MetLife outside New York - took place in a city staging World Cup games. Meanwhile, the Concacaf Gold Cup - which has also been taking place in the US over the past few weeks - has suffered no weather delays to date. But perhaps significantly, seven of the host stadiums are covered.Given that only five of those being used for the 2026 World Cup have a roof, scrutiny over Fifa's choice of venues - along with the kick-off times of matches - is likely to intensify.