Extreme heat potential danger for Club World Cup with temperatures expected to be above 30C in the tournament.
Extreme heat poses a danger to players and fans at Club World Cup.
Miami and Los Angeles are expected to see “moderate” heat risk throughout this weekend, according to the US National Weather Service. The agency cautions that “most individuals sensitive to heat,” which includes those “exercising or doing strenuous activity outdoors during the heat of the day,” will be impacted by temperatures that are expected to rise over 30C. The Club World Cup also starts this weekend.
It will be 8 p.m. in Miami when Lionel Messi and Inter Miami play Al Ahly of Egypt to begin the tournament on Saturday. The day’s top temperatures will have passed, despite the high humidity forecast. However, Paris Saint-Germain and Atletico Madrid’s Group B match will take place on Sunday under the full California sun, with a midday kickoff at Pasadena’s renowned uncovered Rose Bowl.
The FIFA Club World Cup has turned into a focal point for discussions about a wide range of topics related to men’s professional football. The use of dynamic pricing to sell match tickets, FIFA’s entry into the club game, and the extension of the fixture calendar have all proven contentious, but they may all be resolved. However, our changing climate is going to provide another obstacle that the game’s governing body have less control over: the gleaming new event this summer.
With temperatures reaching 40 degrees Celsius during the Republic of Ireland’s match against Mexico, the United States is known for hosting one of the hottest World Cups. The Women’s World Cup in 1999 had temperatures that were closer to the 60-year average. However, the US has seen nine of the ten hottest years in its history during the last 30 years, and the average temperature has increased by more than 1C.
Of the 63 games planned for the Club World Cup, 35 will start earlier than 5 p.m. According to data conducted by the organisation Fossil Free Football, four locations have seen “notable heat events” (with temperatures at least in the high 30s) within the previous five years, and eight of the 11 stadiums have little to no protection from the weather. Not unrelatedly, Fossil Free Football has estimated that the teams’ combined air travel to the Club World Cup will amount to 564,877 km.
According to people close to the organisers, FIFA will be keeping a careful eye on stadium and tournament operations every day. This could lead to the introduction of extra safety precautions for players and fans. However, as of this writing, no new policies have been implemented to address the issue of heat. With the 32-team competition primarily hosting four matches a day during the group stage and the demands of broadcasters being one of the criteria by which FIFA has structured its schedule, there is still little chance of rescheduling games away from the hottest times of the day.
With Fifa president Gianni Infantino still pushing the tournament to a mostly uninformed American public, a lot of the Club World Cup can seem like it was created on the fly. However, it might serve as a vital practice for the 48-team World Cup, which will take place in Mexico and the southern United States next year and feature 104 matches.
Although the data indicates otherwise, it is not impossible for the weather to be cool. Therefore, any lessons learnt about how to keep players, officials, fans, and others safe will be crucial. The dangers of increasing temperatures to human health should be given careful thought, in addition to the developing political concerns surrounding these competitions.