FIFPRO Alerts on the Impact of Heat at the Club World Cup and Concerns about the 2026 World Cup
The global players’ union, FIFPRO, has expressed its concern about the effects of the intense heat during the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. According to the organization, two matches, Paris Saint-Germain against Atletico Madrid and Chelsea against Esperance, should have been postponed due to the high temperatures, which exceeded the recommended threshold. The high temperatures have caused several players to contact their respective national unions during the tournament. FIFPRO’s medical experts have urged FIFA to rule out midday start times in some cities prone to high temperatures during the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Several Club World Cup matches have been interrupted and delayed by electrical storms, including a two-hour interruption in the match between Chelsea and Benfica in Charlotte. Players and coaches, such as Marcos Llorente from Atlético de Madrid and Enzo Maresca from Chelsea, have expressed their concern about the weather conditions.FIFPRO’s medical director, Dr. Vincent Gouttebarge, stated that PSG’s victory against Atletico in Pasadena and Chelsea’s against Esperance in Philadelphia should have been canceled due to temperatures exceeding 28 degrees on the wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) scale, a scientific formula that considers multiple meteorological parameters. FIFA’s WBGT limit is 32 degrees. FIFPRO has used meteorological data to assess potential problems during the 2026 World Cup and has highlighted the risk of playing midday matches in cities like Miami and Orlando. Miami will host World Cup 2026 matches, but Orlando will not. Alexander Bielefeld, FIFPRO’s director of policy and strategic relations, and general secretary Alex Phillips have urged FIFA to schedule the matches in those cities for evening start times. Phillips added that FIFPRO will “plead” with FIFA to ensure that their concerns are heard and addressed. “We will use common sense arguments. We can use MLS protocols; for example, they don’t play midday matches in Florida, and they haven’t for several years.” The MLS WBGT limit is 29 degrees. Meanwhile, Phillips confirmed that some Club World Cup players have expressed their concerns about various issues to their unions.According to our position, we obviously have a threshold where the match should be postponed and rescheduled. The answer is quite simple, of course. The threshold? It’s a WBGT of 28 degrees.
Dr. Vincent Gouttebarge, FIFPRO Medical Director
