Footballers are at “very high risk of experiencing extreme heat stress” in 10 of the 16 stadiums that will host the next World Cup, researchers have warned, as they urge sports authorities to reconsider the timing of sporting events.
Hot weather and strenuous exercise could force soccer players to endure temperatures that feel higher than 49.5 degrees Celsius (121.1 F) in three North American countries by 2026. study. It emerged that they are most at risk of “unacceptable thermal stress” at the stadiums in Arlington and Houston, in the US, and in Monterrey, in Mexico.
Co-author Marek Konefal, from Wroclaw University of Health and Sports Sciences in Poland, said World Cups will increasingly be played in conditions of high heat stress as the climate warms. “It is worth reconsidering the calendar of sporting events now.”
Football’s governing body FIFA recommends taking cooling breaks during matches if the ‘wet bulb’ temperature rises above 32 degrees Celsius. But scientists are concerned that the metric underestimates the stress athletes experience on the field because it only takes into account external heat and humidity.
“During intense physical activity, enormous amounts of heat are produced by the work of the player’s muscles,” said Katarzyna Lindner-Cendrowska, a climate scientist at the Polish Academy of Sciences and lead author of the study. “[This] will increase the overall heat load on the athlete’s body.”
To overcome this, the researchers simulated temperatures that took into account the players’ speed and activity levels, as well as their clothing. They were only able to partially include the effects of exercise in the heat index.
The highest ‘work rate’ that can be integrated into the heat index is about half that of professional players during a competitive football match, says Julien Périard, deputy director of the University of Canberra Research Institute for Sport and Exercise, who does not was. involved in the study. “Although the approach used in the study is a step forward, the results likely underestimate the risk of extreme heat stress.”
The scientists found that the greatest stress would occur between 2 p.m. and 5 p.m., except in one of the stadiums. In Arlington and Houston, temperatures would rise above 50 degrees Celsius by mid-afternoon and place a “heavy burden on the body,” which could lead to heat exhaustion and even heat stroke, they found.
Heat waves have become hotter, longer and more common as fossil fuel pollution has warmed the Earth’s climate. The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is sponsored by Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer, and the 2034 World Cup may be hosted by its owner, Saudi Arabia.
Last year one report According to the Climate Social Science Network, Saudi Arabia has played an outsized role in undermining progress in climate negotiations. “The fossil fuel giant has a 30-year track record of obstruction and delay, protecting its national oil and gas sector and trying to ensure that UN climate talks happen as little and as slowly as possible,” the authors wrote.
Saudi Aramco and FIFA did not respond to requests for comment. In April, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said he was “delighted” to welcome Aramco to FIFA’s family of global partners.
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To protect people from heat, scientists recommend reducing fossil fuel pollution and adapting to a hotter planet. The study did not model the effects of air conditioning, which was used outdoors during the 2022 Men’s World Cup in Qatar to keep players cool.
Périard, who has published FIFA-funded research into preventing heat stress, said the new study could help tournament organizers optimize match scheduling, but added that FIFA “needed to take action” on their current policy to use the wet bulb index to decide on cooling and hydration breaks.
He called for a football-specific heat stress policy that takes into account factors such as sweat and includes measures such as extending rest breaks and postponing matches.
Thessa Beck, a climate and health researcher at ISGlobal, who was not involved in the study, said it was essential to protect fans. “While fans may not be as physically active as players, many are older adults, young children or individuals with pre-existing conditions.”