Scientists warn of extreme heat conditions for 2026 World Cup that could risk players' health

The 2026 FIFA World Cup will take place in Canada, United States and Mexico. It will return to the usual summer dates, from June 11 to July 19, which is a relief for many fans after 2022 was held in December, disrupting the normal course of domestic leagues.

The 2022 World Cup was held in the fall and winter to avoid the extreme temperatures of Qatar. However, a study by Scientific Reports warns that extreme heat might be unavoidable also in North America.

FIFA already implemented some measures to safeguard player's health, such as the hydration break, small three-minute breaks that can be used after 30 minutes if the temperature reaches 32ºC (89.6ºF).

To determine the temperature, FIFA uses the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature index (WBGT) as a measure to determine the perceived heat, taking into consideration other factors like humidity or solar radiation, as explained in El País.

Despite this, the study believes the index is still incomplete: "The WBGT does not incorporate the most important factors specific to sport, namely the production of specific metabolic heat, the specific clothing worn by athletes and the effects of body movement on relative air velocity".

10 of the 16 stadiums could pose health issues due to the temperatures

Therefore, they propose another, more complete system to be used, the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). And according to this method, 10 out of the 16 planned venues are at risk of extreme heat, including three (Arlington and Houston in Texas and Monterrey in Mexico) that could reach temperatures up to 49.5ºC between 2 PM and 5 PM.

The study proposes that the games should be rescheduled to other times of the day to avoid heat stress on players, that could lead to fatigue and dehydration.

This findings would likely be similar in 2030 World Cup, which will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. In the context of climate change, the study believes the World Cups should be moved to spring or autumn in the future...