Overview
- A World Weather Attribution analysis released Thursday estimates 26 of 104 matches will exceed 26°C on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature, a heat index that combines temperature, humidity, sun and wind, with about five games at or above 28°C.
- High-risk sites include Miami, Kansas City and New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where the July 19 final has about a one-in-eight chance of topping 26°C WBGT and roughly a 3% chance of reaching 28°C.
- FIFA says a tiered plan will add three-minute hydration breaks each half, real-time WBGT monitoring, cooling areas for players and fans, and scheduling that avoids the hottest hours where possible.
- In an open letter, doctors and sports scientists call those steps inadequate and urge longer six-minute cooling breaks, stronger pre- and halftime cooling, and firm rules to postpone play above 28°C WBGT.
- Researchers link the heightened risk to climate change and warn fans at outdoor festivals and concourses face prolonged exposure, noting only three stadiums have full bowl cooling and that risk has roughly doubled since 1994.