Scientists have urged FIFA to rethink kick-off times at the 2026 World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico due to extreme heat fears.
Almost 90 per cent of stadiums hosting matches at the tournament next year could face “potentially dangerous” heat levels, university research found. The Tartan Army is hoping to reach its first World Cup in nearly 30 years with Scotland’s qualifying campaign launching in September.
Dr Donal Mullan from Queen’s University Belfast warned 14 of 16 stadiums hosting the global football extravaganza could reach “wet bulb globe temperatures” meaning a potentially dangerous combination of heat and humidity. That metric of heat stress is considered dangerous when it reaches 28C or higher.
Up to nine stadiums featuring at the World Cup in 2026 face this heat at least half the time when it’s a hotter-than-average summer. Four stadiums could also reach an even more hazardous 32C level of extreme heat.
Cities which may pass the 28C threshold or higher include Miami, Philadelphia, Kansas City, Boston and New York in the US and Monterrey in Mexico. With climate change and extreme heat becoming a growing problem in sport, FIFA has already taken measures to reintroduce cooling breaks when wet bulb temperatures hit 32C.
And in 2022, the Qatar World Cup was moved from summer to winter due to fears over extreme heat. Dr Mullan found temperatures at the next World Cup are likely to be at their peak in the afternoon, when games are usually scheduled – but will drop significantly outside afternoon hours.
He said: “Climate change and extreme heat are becoming bigger issues for all areas of our lives, and this includes sport. After analysing 20 years of data, our modelling shows that high temperatures are extremely likely, and these will have a major impact on players.
“We can see that afternoons are the peak time for higher temperatures, regardless of whether 2026 turns out to be an average or hot summer. To protect players, and spectators, organisers must rethink the timing of games.
“The best solution would be rescheduling kick-off times outside the hottest afternoon hours for the locations with highest temperatures, especially those without air conditioning.”
The research, which included an international team across the UK and Canada, has been published in The International Journal of Biometeorology. Scotland boss Steve Clarke has said he is “desperate” to lead the national team to its first World Cup since 1998, with Scotland facing Greece, Belarus and one of Portugal or Denmark in its qualifying group.
Extreme heat has caused fatigue and injury, on-field collapses and hospitalisations across various sports. Heat and dehydration caused Uganda captain and goalkeeper Denis Onyango to be stretchered off in a 2019 Africa Cup of Nations match against hosts Egypt, and Nigerian forward Samuel Kalu collapsed during training at the same tournament.
England and Houston Dash player Rachel Daly collapsed from heat exhaustion at a National Women’s Soccer League match against Seattle Reign in 2017. Zambian referee Janny Sikazwe was taken to hospital with severe heatstroke – later saying he could have died – during a 2021 AFCON match between Tunisia and Mali in Cameroon.
Most recently, Guatemalan match official Humberto Panjoj was hospitalised at a match between Canada and Peru at the 2024 Copa América in Kansas City, US, after hot and humid conditions led to dehydration.
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