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USA Today
3 hours ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Brutal heatwave hits players and fans at FIFA Club World Cup across America
MIAMI GARDENS, FL — You can hear the music thumping inside the stadium, blaring outside of it. It's only natural to feel the anticipation build. 'Let's get down, let's get down to business' is the catchy Tiësto hook that plays before every FIFA Club World Cup match. This was my sixth time hearing it at Hard Rock Stadium since the tournament began, but my first as a paying patron for a match between Brazil's Fluminense and South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns on Wednesday, June 25. My excitement, however, was quickly hit with a snag before I got past the security gates to get my ticket scanned. FIFA says 'fans are welcome to bring empty, transparent, reusable plastic bottles, up to one liter (33.8 oz) into the stadiums.' A security attendant told me to finish mine before I could enter. Okay, understandable — I thought — since the policy is 'empty.' I was three-quarters of the way done with mine. I had bariatric surgery nine months ago, so it was a test to finish my superfood-infused water with a smaller stomach. But I was able to. Then, another attendant reached for my bottle and tossed it in a garbage can. 'I thought FIFA allows a water bottle,' I said. 'Not here,' she replied as the bottle fell on top of others in the can. A mistake on the attendant's part, and since the tournament began FIFA has been in communication with stadium staffs to address these misunderstandings and confusion on entry policies. FIFA also released a statement last week regarding the extreme heat across the United States, which adds to mounting concerns about player safety and fan welfare during the Club World Cup and next year's FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. '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.' The noon and 3 p.m. start times to matches have also been an issue at the height of the heat, providing primetime viewing in other parts of the world. 'I think it's part and parcel of football," English captain Harry Kane said after Bayern Munich's win over Boca Juniors. You have to be able to adapt. ... There's something special about these World Cup games, and next year will be the same. "When you come off that pitch and you're sweating and you're dripping and you're cramping and you've given everything on the pitch – there's a special feeling inside, especially when you win.' Meanwhile, German giant Borussia Dortmund refused to have players sit on the bench directly in the sun in Cincinnati for their June 21 noon match. It was 87°F (30.5°C). 'Our subs watched the first half from inside the locker room to avoid the blazing sun at TQL Stadium – never seen that before, but in this heat, it absolutely makes sense,' the team said, sharing a photo of players in the locker room on social media. Watch FIFA Club World Cup free on DAZN. Sign up now. Here are a few things FIFA could consider before the World Cup next year to address the heat concerns: – Install mist systems and climate-controlled benches, like NFL teams use during late-summer and winter games, at hosting venues. It might not directly help the players on the field, outside of their cooling breaks in the 30th and 75th minutes, when they hydrate, eat an electrolyte chewable and/or apply a wet towel on themselves. But it's a good starting point. – Only four of the 11 American venues hosting World Cup games are indoors and should be prioritized for day games: Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium, AT&T Stadium outside Dallas, TX, Houston's NRG Stadium and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles. Teams should also get a proceeding night match if they play an early game in the sun. – FIFA should coordinate with stadium vendors to sell water at cheaper price points. MetLife Stadium sells water for $5, while Hard Rock Stadium for $6. Maybe, FIFA and Ticketmaster could consider a nominal water fee on ticket sales, and just give fans water for free at the concession stands. Hey, just thinking out loud. – Ticketmaster and other ticket-selling platforms should be transparent and communicate to consumers when and where seats are shaded at stadiums, so they can make informed purchases. Club World Cup attendance amid heat wave I've attended events at Hard Rock Stadium, as a patron and journalist, for nearly 20 years. I bought a resell ticket on Ticketmaster in section 106, row 2 for $37, figuring I could help a seller offload their purchase. My seat was also covered by the stadium's canopy for the entire match. But not everyone was so comfortable. Fluminense fan Matt Benac sat with his back braced up against a concrete wall inside the stadium concourse, waving his black hat in front of his face flushed red, trying to relieve himself from the blazing sun at halftime. Benac was among five sections of Fluminense fans baking in the lower level where there's no escape from the sunlight unless intercepted by a cloud. There weren't any on this day. 'It's too hot for me to handle,' said Benac, who is from Rio de Janiero, where Fluminense plays. 'I'm just out here sitting in the shade trying to have a good time. But it's hard with the sun out there. It's getting me exhausted.' Despite the conditions, football loving fans will still show up for their favorite teams – and pay the price of bottled water multiple times. Fluminense fan Rafael Daceo held four empty cups under his arm while shirtless, standing next to his girlfriend Carolina Casaes inside the stadium corridor. They moved from Rio de Janiero seven months ago to be students at Madison College in Wisconsin, and were sunburnt from a trip to the beach a day earlier. More than welcoming the sun, they attended the Fluminense match because being a fan is in their blood. Daceo said his father is a Fluminense fan, and his grandfather before them. Casaes said her entire family was watching the match back home in Rio. 'I'm feeling like I'm here with my dad, my brother and my step-father because they love Fluminense. I'm feeling like I'm with them. They are watching, too,' Casaes said. 'I'm so grateful to be here. I feel like I'm in Brazil. It's not the same, but the energy is the same. We really miss Brazil right now. Here, we feel a little bit of it.' Just participating in Club World Cup has brought pride to the players and their fans. The Fluminense fans cheered until the very end, even raising their intensity in the final 10 minutes of the match as they finished a scoreless draw against the Sundowns but advanced to the Round of 16. Sundowns players even danced on the pitch in front of their supporters in the stands, after the final whistle concluded their participation in the tournament. Vuyani Makabe, a South African from Vancouver who flew across the continent for the Miami match, was filled with pride watching his team. 'I never thought as a kid my Mamelodi Sundowns, who I grew up supporting, would actually be competing in a World Cup, and me watching them in Miami,' Makabe said. 'This is a dream come true.'
The Sun
21 hours ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Nick Woltemade is 6ft 6in transfer target who's heir apparent to Harry Kane's throne and ready to give England U21s hell
HE'S one of the hottest strikers in the Bundesliga after a blistering campaign that saw him bag 17 goals for Stuttgart. Nick Woltemade is the biggest topic of conversation in Germany, having reportedly reached a full verbal agreement with Bayern Munich over a summer transfer. 8 8 The German Under-21 star has shown over the past 12 months why Vincent Kompany and Bayern have identified him as the heir to Harry Kane and are eager to bring him to the Allianz Arena. According to Sky Sport, Stuttgart are expected to put up a fight to hold on to their prized asset even though the player wants the move. The process remains complicated because Woltemade is under contract with Stuttgart until 2028 and does not have a release clause. He's proven during this summer's ongoing European Under-21 Championship that he's the real deal with six goals and three assists, Germany's top scorer so far. Woltemade also knows what it means to win at the highest level, having lifted the DFB-Pokal in his first year at Stuttgart. His outstanding performances so far mean England defender Jarell Quansah faces a huge challenge in trying to stop the tournament's six-goal top scorer from adding to his tally in tomorrow's final. And it's a task Quansah better get used to quickly as he is set to join Bayer Leverkusen from Liverpool following the tournament. As Bayern Munich close in on a £35million deal for the striker, he and Harry Kane look set to form a formidable partnership and potentially a long-running rivalry with Quansah in the Bundesliga. 8 This could be the beginning of what may become a fearsome footballing saga. Despite his massive frame the 6ft 6in hotshot has already shown he possesses a bit of everything. Inside the strangest football stadiums in Europe including one beside Hitler's bunker and another with a STEAM TRAIN He showed off his quick feet with two goals in the 3–0 opening win over Slovenia, then kept a cool head to slot home a penalty for his hat-trick. Woltemade's aerial prowess has also been on full display throughout the tournament in Slovakia, scoring headers against both the Czech Republic and Italy. Then just to complete the full set, he even netted with his left foot in the semi-final against France. Woltemade, who recently earned his first two senior national team caps during the Nations League finals has also demonstrated his unselfish side, providing three assists for teammates en route to the final. Now even clubs like Chelsea are showing interest but it's Bayern who appear to be winning the race. A move to join Kane up front would cap a meteoric rise over the past 12 months for the towering striker but his journey hasn't always been easy. 8 8 There were high hopes when he became the youngest Bundesliga player in Werder Bremen's history at 17 years, 11 months, and 16 days back in 2020, but things didn't quite click. A loan spell in Germany's third tier with SV Elversberg helped him regain his confidence, netting 10 times in a season-long promotion-winning campaign two years ago. Still, success eluded him at Werder and it wasn't until he joined Stuttgart on a free transfer last summer, replacing Serhou Guirassy, that his career truly took off. In just 12 months, he's taken the Bundesliga by storm, broken into the German senior side and is now lighting up the European Under-21 Championship. 8 8
The Sun
a day ago
- Sport
- The Sun
Flamengo vs Bayern Munich – Club World Cup boosts: Harry Kane and Michael Olise shot on target boost now LIVE at Midnite
FLAMENGO'S prize for toppling Chelsea in the Club World Cup is a tie against European giants in the round-of-16 on Sunday. Midnite have a handful of top price boosts for the big game in Philadelphia and we've picked out our favourite. Midnite new customer offer Midnite welcome offer Download the Midnite app or create an account online HERE* Register using the Promo Code: BETGETSPORTS Deposit a minimum of £10 Place a pre-match bet of £10 and a minimum of 4 legs, at minimum total odds of 3/1 Once that's settled - win or lose - you will receive £20 in free bets You will also receive 50 free spins Flamengo vs Bayern Munich: Get £20 in free bets and 50 free spins HERE* Flamengo vs Bayern Munich offers Topping the group ahead of Enzo Maresca's men looked the best option as they were sure to meet Benfica. Instead, the Portuguese side got the better of Bayern and that leaves the impressive Brazilian side left to face the German giants. Michael Olise is really highlighting himself as a key player for Bayern and has five shots on target in just 180 minutes of Club World Cup action, with Harry Kane leading the line. As mentioned, the duo are prominent in our selection of Midnite's top price boosts for Sunday's game. Here's the list of price boosts on offer for tonight: Guerreiro, Stanisic & Kimmich All To Have 2+ Fouls Committed Each in 90mins - NOW 15/2 - CLAIM HERE Harry Kane to score first - NOW 9/2 - CLAIM HERE Midnite new customer offer Want to join Midnite? Well here's how you can... Simply download Midnite's app or create an account online using the Promo Code: BETGETSPORTS Once that's done, deposit a minimum of £10 and stake a pre-match bet of £10 and a minimum of 4 legs, at minimum total odds of 3/1. Once that's settled - win or lose - you will receive £20 in free bets. You will also receive 50 free spins to spend on Big Bass Splash (valued at 10p per spin). Remember to gamble responsibly A responsible gambler is someone who: Read our guide on responsible gambling practices. For help with a gambling problem, call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or go to to be excluded from all UK-regulated gambling websites. *18+ New UK customers. Bet £10 on accas with 4+ legs, min odds 3/1 (4.0). Get 4x £5 Free Bets and 50 Free Spins, valid for 7 days on selected bets and games only. T&Cs apply.
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Bayern reach agreement with German sensation Woltemade
Bayern Munich have agreed personal terms with VfB Stuttgart forward Nick Woltemade over a summer move, according to Florian Plettenberg. The German international has given the green light to a five-year contract until 2030 with Bayern, who are yet to open talks with Stuttgart. Advertisement However, Stuttgart are trying to retain the forward, whose price tag is believed to be around €60 million. Bayern will remain hopeful of getting the deal done with a substantial offer, backed by Woltemade's desire to make a switch to the Allianz Arena. The Bavarians have beaten Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan for Woltemade, who is one of the hottest prospects in Europe at the moment. The 23-year-old is currently tearing up the U-21 European Championship, bagging six goals and three assists to inspire Germany to the finals, where Die Mannschaft will meet England. Woltemade also had a prolific campaign last season at the club level. He bagged 17 goals and three assists in all competitions, including the strike in Stuttgart's win against Arminia Bielefeld in the DFB Pokal finals. Advertisement With Woltemade, Bayern have continued their strategy of snapping up the best talents within the Bundesliga. The young striker has been viewed as a backup for Harry Kane, but he will be looking to compete for a place in the starting XI. Woltemade can also play as a second striker and No.10. His arrival will fortify an already dangerous-looking forward line, featuring Michael Olise, Jamal Musiala and Kingsley Coman.
New York Times
2 days ago
- Climate
- New York Times
How the heatwave has affected players at the Club World Cup and what the lessons are for the 2026 World Cup
The heatwave that swept the United States in recent days caused concerns for players and fans at the Club World Cup. To try to manage the intense heat, players have covered themselves in ice-cold towels or placed their hands and feet in buckets of the stuff. Such was the heat in Charlotte on Tuesday that Harry Kane even dipped his head in. Advertisement At Cincinnati's TQL Stadium, Borussia Dortmund's substitutes watched the first half of their game against Mamelodi Sundowns from the locker room rather than the bench to avoid the pitch-side heat. Dortmund coach Niko Kovac said he was 'sweating like I've just come out of a sauna' after his side won that game in 32C (89.6F) conditions. After their game against Paris Saint-Germain in Pasadena, just outside Los Angeles, Atletico Madrid midfielder Marcos Llorente described the weather as 'impossible. Terribly hot. My toenails were hurting'. In Philadelphia, Chelsea played in temperatures of around 36C (97F), which forecasters said felt more like 41C (106F). 'It is almost impossible to train or to make a session because of the weather,' Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca told reporters on Monday. 'This morning's session has been very, very, very short.' But what exactly does heat do to an athlete's body? And how much of a problem can it really be? Here The Athletic answers those questions and what it means for the rest of the Club World Cup — and the World Cup, which will be staged mostly by the U.S, again in June and July, with games also in the neighbouring countries of Canada and Mexico. Any physical exertion in hot conditions will cause the body's temperature to rise. 'We sit about 37C (98.6F) at resting,' says Dr Chris Tyler, an environmental physiologist from London's University of Roehampton and an expert on heat stress in elite sports. 'Most people get into trouble if they are two to three degrees warmer than that, so we don't have much of a buffer. 'It's actually quite difficult to get the body that hot, but one of the ways to do it is to move quite quickly in hot conditions.' The most obvious consequence of that rise in temperature is an elevation in your heart rate. This happens, explains Tyler, because the body sends more blood to the skin to try to get rid of some of the excess heat (the reason why some people get very red-faced when they're too warm). Advertisement That leaves less blood in the core trunk of the body, and crucially, less blood in the heart, meaning it has to work harder to provide blood to the working muscles. That's why doing the same exercise at the same intensity is going to be harder — and feel harder — in higher temperatures than cooler ones. The most obvious visual impact among professional footballers is their sweat response. They will start to perspire earlier and more rapidly as their body tries to cool itself down. According to Geoff Scott, former head of medicine and sports science at Tottenham Hotspur, players lose a minimum of two litres (approaching four UK pints, over four in U.S. pints) of fluid per game playing in cooler temperatures in the Premier League. 'When it gets really hot and humid, that can go up to about five litres of fluid over the course of one game,' he tells The Athletic. It's not just water they are losing through sweat either, it's electrolytes, too, and the depletion of essential ones such as sodium, chloride and potassium is a key concern. To combat that, Scott says that in the days before and especially on the day of a game, hydration is pushed at all opportunities to make sure players are drinking water and also sports drinks with adequate electrolytes. 'It's common now that teams will do sweat analysis on the players so they know which players sweat more and which ones lose more electrolytes in their sweat, and they can be targeted with specific drinks to make sure their electrolyte imbalances are addressed,' he says. A player who gets into the 'dehydration zone' could suffer light-headedness, dizziness, fatigue and muscle cramps, but Scott says that, well before getting to that opint, there will be changes in their performance levels: 'You tend to start seeing them reduce their high-intensity running, and very elevated temperatures tend to affect their technical skills too, so the quality can drop off. They start to fatigue faster, too.' Advertisement While an increase in sweating can cause issues regarding dehydration, it's also a good thing, because if it can evaporate from the skin, the perspiration will take some of the heat away with it. But, Tyler explains, in conditions where humidity is also high, a lot of that sweat won't be able to evaporate because there is already lots of moisture in the surrounding air. 'So players will be losing sweat,' he says, 'but it will be dripping off them rather than evaporating, which will be dehydrating without taking any heat away.' If the rise in body temperature isn't controlled, it can lead to heatstroke. 'As the blood is all shunted to the skin, there's less volume of blood in your cardiovascular system,' explains Scott. 'And that's the problem – your blood pressure drops. Someone out for a casual jog who is getting close to that would probably stop, but these guys can't stop (during a match), so they're at more risk.' To cope with soaring temperatures, athletes adapt the way they perform. In football, the average distance covered is reduced during hot-weather games and the action becomes more possession-heavy, explains Tyler. 'The good teams will adapt tactically. You see it in tennis as well, where good players will make the other players run a lot more. It's the same here; if you're Manchester City, you can play a very slow, possession-based game and let everyone else chase you for 90 minutes.' There is physiological adaptation, too, with the body making subtle changes to be more efficient in the heat. One of those is an expansion of the plasma volume of a person's blood, meaning you end up with a greater volume of blood in the body than you had before. 'Now you have more blood, so you can send some to the skin and maintain blood flow to the working muscles without needing the heart to pump faster,' says Tyler. 'That means the heart rate won't go so high.' Advertisement As well as sweating earlier, what comes out of the players' pores will also be different to normal, says Tyler, becoming more diluted, thus preserving essential electrolytes such as sodium chloride and potassium, which are lost through sweat. Those adaptations in blood volume and sweat composition can help decrease the strain the players are under. The only catch is that those processes take time. 'How long they take is hard to say exactly,' says Tyler, 'but it seems like players would need at least five to seven days to see meaningful adaptations. But even after two weeks, they are still making adaptations to that stress.' Given the short turnaround time between the end of the European season, late May for a lot of leagues, and the start of the Club World Cup on June 14, many of the teams involved won't have had much time to acclimatise before travelling to the United States. Also of relevance is the fact a lot of the teams taking part in this tournament come from countries with typically cooler climates than their rivals from South and Central America, North Africa, and the Middle East, which makes the challenge even greater. Tyler, whose research focuses on human responses to extreme hot and cold environments, and specifically on how to minimise the performance impairments observed in such conditions, says that for an event such as the Club World Cup, athletes would ideally want at least two weeks of 'heat adaptation training' before leaving for the host nation. This usually involves heat tents or heat chambers, which mimic the conditions players will face on arrival. Heat lamps can also be used inside these to recreate the feeling of the sun's rays. Temperatures in the tents can range from 35-50C (95-122F) and the humidity rises from around 30 per cent to 80 per cent by the end of a session. Advertisement It's an approach England's new head coach, Thomas Tuchel, used at their training camp in the recent June international window. With the side's likely participation in next summer's World Cup in mind, players were asked to go through fitness tests inside heated tents, allowing performance staff to analyse how each of them responds to those conditions, including analysing their sweat rate and sweat composition. 'The idea,' says Tyler, 'is to do their normal training (or as close to it as possible) while getting their body hot in a controlled, safe environment.' Over time, he explains, players doing this start to adapt physiologically to perform better in higher temperatures. Once they arrive in the hot climate itself, they can continue to adapt. Manchester City used their early training sessions in the States to try to speed up the adaptation, with manager Pep Guardiola holding long midday training sessions in the searing Florida heat at their base in Boca Raton, near Miami. Juventus have been scheduling training to match the kick-offs of their group matches, with their English defender Lloyd Kelly telling the media they had trained 'the past 10 days in the hottest times of the day'. 'Being aerobically fit is advantageous anyway,' says Tyler, 'so if you're an elite player, you probably have some more tolerance for the heat than if you were a non-athlete. 'That could put teams like Auckland City (the part-timers from New Zealand) at an even bigger disadvantage, because they're not professional athletes, so their players are less fit than some other teams.' World football governing body and Club World Cup organiser FIFA's policy on managing the temperature for players during games is to implement cooling breaks when the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT; an overall thermal-strain measure achieved by combining temperature, humidity, wind speed and solar radiation) exceeds 32C (89.6F) on the pitch. Advertisement FIFA also said its medical experts 'have been in regular contact with the clubs to address heat management and acclimatisation', and that it was working with local medical authorities regarding heat management. From the players' point of view, the Club World Cup represents a dry run for the national-team version in a year — a taste of what they might expect if they are among those taking part in football's biggest competition. The challenge has been made clear at the Club World Cup: the toughest opponent might not be the team you're facing, but the heat. The preparation for that has to start now.
