Infantino: Covered stadiums at the 2026 World Cup due to heat and climate

Infantino Addresses Climate Concerns for the 2026 World Cup

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has announced that stadiums with roofs will be used to mitigate problems related to extreme weather conditions during the 2026 World Cup. This decision comes after criticism received for the players’ exposure to intense heat during the Club World Cup held in the United States. The Club World Cup final, which will pit Paris Saint-Germain against Chelsea at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, will be played with a forecast of high temperatures. Authorities have taken measures to ensure the well-being of the players and the spectacle. The semi-final match between Chelsea and Fluminense already showed high temperatures, which led to the concern of FIFPRO, the global players’ union, which suggested delaying or postponing some matches due to the excessive heat.

The heat made me dizzy and it was very dangerous.

Enzo Fernández

Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernández urged FIFA to reconsider next year’s World Cup schedule, highlighting the danger of the heat. Faced with this situation, Infantino stated that more covered stadiums will be used in the 2026 World Cup, such as those in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Vancouver, which have roofs and air conditioning, to counteract the daytime heat and climatic problems.

Every criticism we receive is a source for us to study and analyze what we can do better.

Gianni Infantino

Infantino also mentioned the importance of breaks to cool down and assured that measures will be taken to improve the situation. In addition, he highlighted that former President Donald Trump will attend the final in New Jersey, showing his support for soccer.

Infantino defended the Club World Cup tournament and revealed that some European teams that did not qualify requested to be invited. In addition, he referred to the possibility of teams like Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester United, Tottenham, AC Milan and Barcelona participating in future tournaments, although certain qualification criteria must be met. The FIFA president concluded by stating that the tournament has been a great success and that the golden age of football has begun.