According to the report, the tournament poses major challenges for players in terms of adapting to games at greatly varying altitudes above sea level and in different local climates.
The altitude of the World Championship arenas varies from two meters above sea level to 2,240 meters above sea level. The arenas are also located in nine different climate zones.
"Extreme altitude difference"
It's a problem that there is an extreme altitude difference between different matches. Teams that get to play more matches at lower altitude or in more pleasant climates get a major advantage. Moreover, it becomes tough for both the heart and lungs, and the skin has a harder time sweating optimally. The body also has a harder time absorbing salts and minerals, so it's really important to take care of recovery, says Sverker Nilsson.
Players also risk impaired performance, heatstroke, and extreme dehydration due to the weather conditions. However, doctor Sverker Nilsson is not overly worried.
We have good knowledge of how to prepare. It's about exposing oneself to extreme heat and adapting the body. How you eat, drink, and sleep also plays a major role in how you cope with the heat. You have to try to solve it in the best way possible, but it feels really unnecessary, actually.
Ten of the 16 World Championship arenas are estimated to have a very high risk of extreme weather conditions (over 46 degrees Celsius). The arenas with the highest risk are those located in Arlington and Houston in the USA and in Monterrey in Mexico. There, temperatures are said to be able to reach over 50 degrees Celsius.
A similar problem existed during the 2022 World Championship in Qatar, which was postponed to the winter to avoid the worst heat.
That will not be the case with North America. The 2026 World Championship is scheduled to take place between June 11 and July 19, when temperatures are at their highest. Sverker Nilsson says, however, that there are ways to tackle the heat.
You can schedule match times so that players get as comfortable conditions as possible. But then it often becomes a problem for TV viewers, which means that you often can't schedule matches at medically optimal times either.
All facts in the text are based on a recently published report titled "Prospective heat stress risk assessment for professional soccer players in the context of the 2026 FIFA World Cup", written by Marek Konefal from Wroclaw University of Health and Sports Sciences in Poland.
Previous studies have shown that previous World Championship arenas with high humidity (such as the 2014 World Championship in Brazil) or high air temperature (for example, in Russia 2018) have shown negative effects on players.
Konefal's report resulted in an assessment of the heat risk for the 2026 World Championship, concluding that measures are needed to reduce the risk of injuries to players. Therefore, things like "cooling breaks", hydration solutions, and adapted match times for individual arenas are highlighted as necessary for player safety.
