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NEW YORK — With less than a year to go until the U.S. co-hosts the tournament with Mexico and Canada, the heat and humidity experienced by teams at the Club World Cup has set alarm bells ringing within the game that it might just be a case of wrong place and wrong time for a summer tournament in North America.
High-profile players and coaches, senior figures at global players’ union FIFPRO and climate experts have all raised concerns about the risks and even dangers that will accompany next year’s 48-team World Cup, which will be staged at the height of summer between June 11 and July 19.
The 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar, originally planned as a northern hemisphere summer tournament when hosting rights were awarded in 2010, was eventually staged across November and December to avoid players and spectators being exposed to punishing June/July temperatures in excess of 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but the 2026 tournament will go ahead as scheduled, despite the prospect of similarly unbearable conditions. However, FIFA is now under pressure to reevaluate plans for next year’s World Cup and ensure that key issues — in particular, kickoff times and host cities with tough summer climates — are addressed to avoid putting the well-being of players at risk.
“We clearly believe that from a health and safety perspective, this [extreme heat] is something that must take priority over commercial interests with regards to the safety of the players,” Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO director of policy and strategic relations, said on a conference call about extreme heat at the Club World Cup.
“Heat conditions are not happening in a vacuum. The debate on extreme heat is not happening in a vacuum. It’s actually quite foreseeable.”
‘I would not go out and have a game at 2 p.m.’
How difficult is it to play football in temperatures so hot that most people wouldn’t even consider taking a short walk around the block?
At the 1994 World Cup, the last one hosted in the U.S., the Group E fixture…
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