Newsletters
The upcoming 2026 World Cup faces potential disruptions from severe summer weather across its 16 host cities in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Rising temperatures, oppressive humidity, and poor air quality from Canadian and Californian wildfires all pose significant risks to the tournament.
A quarter of the matches will likely be played under hazardous heat conditions that threaten both players and fans, according to a World Weather Attribution analysis highlighted by Scientific American.
Additionally, summer thunderstorms present a major logistical challenge due to strict safety protocols. A single lightning strike within a 10-mile radius triggers a mandatory 30-minute delay, with each subsequent flash restarting the clock.
This issue was highly apparent during last year’s FIFA Club World Cup dress rehearsal, where severe weather significantly delayed six matches.
While stadiums use lightning rods for safety, nearby strikes can still disrupt events. Lightning remains dangerous, causing 444 U.S. deaths between 2006 and 2021, mostly during outdoor activities.
The humid region east of the Rocky Mountains is at the highest risk. Climate scientists warn that global warming is expected to increase lightning frequency due to stronger rising air and greater cloud electrification.
Kelsey Malloy of the University of Delaware said, "we haven't really detected strong trends yet," but overall, "it is expected that lightning is going to increase" in parts of the U.S.
Malloy, a climate scientist, said forecasting has improved at predicting severe weather and urged fans to heed risk warnings and protocol surrounding impacted matches.
"A lot of people maybe imagine if they can't see the storm, they can't see the lightning, they haven't heard the thunder yet, that they're not in an active threat," Malloy told AFP. "But lightning can strike miles away from an actual storm location."
University of Florida, lightning researcher Ziqin Ding noted that while stadiums are generally well-protected by lightning rods to prevent fires and structural damage, nearby strikes can still easily disrupt events.
FIFA will use a few stadiums with roofs, air conditioning or both, in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles and Vancouver, to ease concerns over storm delays or extreme heat. But many are open-air.
This could spell storm delays and subject players and fans to debilitating temperatures.
During 2025's club tournament, many matches were played in weather over 90 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius), with humidity making it feel even hotter.
A team of climate scientists recently released a report that said "grueling heat" could impact a quarter of slated games, including New Jersey's final.
FIFA has mandated cooling breaks during each half of the matches.
Doctor Chris Mullington of Imperial College London said it's possible some footballers "just won't be able to play at the intensity that they're used to."
Fans, many of whom might be consuming alcohol in direct sun under heavy heat and humidity, may face even more health risks.
By and large, those people "will not be elite athletes and may come with many co-morbidities that could be exacerbated by the heat," Mullington said.
A group of current and former professional players led by Norway's Morten Thorsby delivered a recent petition to FIFA describing the impacts of heat, saying "it can make you feel light-headed, dizzy, experience fatigue, muscle cramps and worse."
They urged FIFA to update its World Cup heat-stress framework, a measure they insisted be coupled with "consistent climate action."
"It would be a missed opportunity if a sport so impacted by the climate crisis doesn't take its responsibility in addressing it," read the open letter.
Set as preferred source
Set as preferred source
1 min read
