World Cup matches played in dangerous heat as players’ union warns of climate risk

Severe heat already at the tournament

Nine 2026 World Cup group-stage matches have already been played in severe heat conditions, according to a Guardian analysis published Tuesday, intensifying scrutiny of how FIFA is handling player safety at a tournament spread across hot summer venues in the United States, Mexico and Canada.

The Guardian said wet-bulb globe temperatures at those matches reached at least 28C, a level the players’ union Fifpro says should trigger delays or postponements. Two matches in Miami were reported to have gone above 33C WBGT.

That puts the issue well beyond a general weather complaint. The reporting frames it as a direct health risk for players, with heat illness and heat stroke among the concerns when matches are played at dangerous temperatures.

Current heat dome

The latest warning arrives as AP reported that a heat dome is affecting parts of the central and eastern United States this week, including several World Cup host cities. AP said Philadelphia, Boston and Kansas City are among the open-air venues facing extreme conditions, with heat index values reaching as high as 111F.

Those conditions also raise risks for fans, outdoor event workers and support staff around stadiums and fan zones, not only for the players on the field.

What FIFA and host cities are doing

AP reported that organizers and host cities are already using cooling areas, water access, medical services and adjusted fan-event schedules to cope with the conditions. Mid-game cooling breaks are also in place for players.

Those measures may reduce immediate risk, but they do not change the underlying concern raised by Fifpro and climate-focused critics: matches are still being staged in conditions that can exceed what the union considers safe.

Why the warning matters

Summer scheduling in open-air U.S. venues has been a recurring concern because of heat and humidity. Fifpro has previously argued that tournament planning needs to account more seriously for those risks, and the current weather is bringing that debate back to the foreground.

The broader context is climate change, which is intensifying extreme heat events and making high-temperature tournament planning more difficult. What might once have been treated as a nuisance is increasingly being described as a player-health and public-safety issue.

What comes next

The main unanswered question is whether FIFA will alter kickoff times, add further protections or change match operations if the heat persists into the knockout rounds.

For now, the tournament is continuing under the current mitigation steps while the Guardian’s heat analysis and AP’s reporting on the heat dome keep pressure on FIFA and host cities to respond more aggressively if conditions worsen again.