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Ahead of 2026 FIFA World Cup, a FIFPro study warned that six of the 16 venues for the global tournament present an “extremely high risk” of heat-stress injury for players.
Al Ain’s Park Yong-woo cools off during the Club World Cup. (AP Photo)
FIFPRO, football’s global players’ union, is considering whether extending halftime to 20 minutes and introducing more frequent cooling breaks could better safeguard players from extreme heat. Nine of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup are expected to experience conditions classified as “extreme risk” for heat-related illnesses.
Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Guadalajara, Houston, Kansas City, Miami, Monterrey, and Philadelphia are anticipated to encounter dangerous heat and humidity levels, raising player safety concerns and prompting calls for mandatory cooling aids or scheduling adjustments.
FIFPRO’s heat risk assessments are based on the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), which combines temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind speed to assess how environmental conditions affect the body’s ability to cool itself.
According to FIFPRO guidelines, a WBGT reading above 28 degrees Celsius indicates conditions where matches should be postponed or rescheduled to protect players’ health. Major League Soccer in the U.S. has a threshold of 29 degrees Celsius WBGT.
“Cooling breaks at the 30th minute and 75th minute are quite traditional, but from a physiological point of view it does not make sense,” said Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO’s Medical Director.
“Even if you ingest more than 200 millilitres of fluid, you already cannot take it all. So I would definitely like to see some project where we look at the efficacy of perhaps more frequent but shorter cooling breaks – every 15 minutes, rather than only one during each half.”
Longer Halftimes
Gouttebarge also questioned whether the traditional 15-minute halftime interval is sufficient when matches are played in extreme heat.
“You can imagine that halftime of 15 minutes might not be enough in order to decrease the core temperature,” he said.
“It could be a halftime of 20 minutes which would be significant. That has been shown in the laboratory and FIFPRO, together with the national union in Portugal in August, we are going to test this kind of mitigation strategy.”
The urgency of stronger heat protocols became clear at this month’s Club World Cup where two matches — Benfica-Bayern Munich in Charlotte and Chelsea-Esperance in Philadelphia — exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO considers unsafe.
“According to our position, those games should have been postponed later that day or rescheduled,” Gouttebarge said.
FIFPRO officials acknowledged that FIFA has responded constructively during the tournament by lowering thresholds for mandatory cooling breaks and improving pitch-side hydration, but emphasised that proactive planning is critical.
“FIFA have been quite responsive once the tournament was under way,” said Alex Phillips, FIFPRO General Secretary.
“They have actually modified how they’ve been dealing with heat during the matches based on FIFPRO’s input, which is credit to the work of the team. Obviously, it would have been better if that happened in advance, but it’s better that they have adapted.”
FIFPRO warned that the risks highlighted at the Club World Cup are a preview of what players could face at the expanded 2026 World Cup.
“This is not just affecting the Club World Cup, but also future tournaments either in the U.S. or elsewhere in the world,” said Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO Director of Policy & Strategic Relations.
“We need a better balance between commercial interests and the health and safety of players,” he added, referring to earlier kick-off times to accommodate European television audiences.
With Reuters Inputs
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A team of reporters, writers and editors brings you live updates, breaking news, opinions and photos from the wide world of sport. Follow @News18Sports
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Philadelphia (USA)
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