Can The Club World Cup Weather The Storm And Heat Of A U.S. Summer?

As the entire world has learned, Mother Nature always has the first and last words on everything we do.

We can’t do anything about the weather and usually talk and complain about it.

Even FIFA, one of the most powerful worldwide organizations, is at the mercy of any sort of severe weather conditions, including thunderstorms, tornados, heat and humidity.

Which brings us to the FIFA Club World Cup, which is in the process of completing its group stage in all four corners of the continental United States.

That’s a land mass with four time zones and many variations of climate, although it can become a lot more volatile in the summertime.

In her story on Forbes.com on June 14, contributor Claire Poole wrote about climate, environment and heat concerns of the tournament.

“Fans and players face mounting risks as climate change drives higher temperatures,” Poole wrote.

“With many tournament matches being scheduled to take place during the hottest parts of the day, heat exposure risks are raising alarms. Of particular concern are games in open-air stadiums that lack climate-controlled roofing, including Camping World Stadium in Orlando, the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, and Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.”

Those concerns have become reality for teams that are not accustomed to playing in severe heat.

After his Paris Saint-Germain team recorded a 4-0 victory past Atletico Madrid in Pasadena, Calif. on June 15, coach Luis Enrique said: “The teams are suffering.”

Enrique also told DAZN: “Happy. I think we are competing at the same level as we were before. Even with this temperature and heat. You have to manage [the heat] because it’s the best time for the European countries, but it’s difficult to play in those conditions.”

Teams have been given hydration breaks for a couple of minutes in each half.

Atletico midfielder Marcos Llorente told reporters: “It’s impossible, it’s terribly hot. My toes were sore, my toenails were hurting, I couldn’t stop and start. … It’s unbelievable.”

According to the BBC, FIFA responded with this statement: “FIFA’s top priority is the health of everyone involved in football, and FIFA’s medical experts have been in regular contact with the clubs participating to address heat management and acclimatization.”

Prior to Saturday’s contests, four matches were delayed by severe weather, and two occurred at Inter & Co. Stadium in Orlando, Fla.

They were:

* Mamelodi Sundowns vs. Ulsan HD at Inter & Co. Stadium, Orlando (June 18) – The kickoff of Mamelodi’s 1-0 triumph was delayed for an hour by severe weather conditions in the area.

* Red Bull Salzburg vs. Pachuca at TQL Stadium, Cincinnati (June 19) – Salzburg’s 2-1 win had a 90-minute interruption due to a severe thunderstorm.

* Palmeiras vs. Al Ahly at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J. (June 19) – Palmeiras’ 2-0 win was delayed for 40 minutes over fears of stormy weather.

* And Benfica vs. Auckland City, Inter & Co. Stadium, Orlando (June 20) – Benfica’s 6-0 victory was suspended for nearly two hours after halftime due to a thunderstorm.

“It wasn’t easy to get back to the rhythm that the game was playing at that time,” Al Ahly coach Jose Riveiro told CBSSports.com. “You have to also understand that most of the teams, including ourselves, we’re coming from very long seasons, the levels of energy are not at the best, so this type of interruptions are obviously not going to help for the show.”

Solutions aren’t easy, although there have been some innovative ways and intriguing strategies to stay away from the heat.

https://x.com/BVB/status/1936469404453142881

With temperatures soaring near 90 degrees for his team’s encounter against the Mamelodi Sundowns in Cincinnati on Saturday, Dortmund Nico Kovac wanted to keep his reserves out of the sun as long as possible. So, he decided to have them watch the first half from its air-conditioned locker room at TQL Stadium, rather than sit on the sidelines. Dortmund edged its South African rivals, 4-3.

“I think the conditions made it so difficult, especially for us, being a European team,” Dortmund midfielder Jobe Bellingham told the Associated Press. “They played a fantastic game, and I’m sure they’re used to that kind of weather, but we definitely aren’t. It’s something we are going to have to adapt to as the tournament goes on, and that’s just the demands of this competition.”

Prior to the competition, FIFPRO, the soccer world’s players’ union, asked FIFA to change the scheduling of the 2026 World Cup. Next year’s tournament runs from June 9 to July 19.

“FIFPRO has consistently advocated for comprehensive heat protection measures including mandatory cooling breaks, adjustments to kick-off times to avoid the most intense heat, and the postponement of matches when conditions pose a serious health risk to players,” FIFPRO said in a statement on its website.

“With tournaments like the Club World Cup featuring dense match schedules and hot climates in locations such as Orlando and Miami, extreme heat is becoming an increasingly important health and safety issue in professional football.

“FIFPRO will closely monitor the situation in the coming weeks with a view to prioritizing player welfare over other considerations.”

Tournaments are a different animal than other matches.

Regular season games can be called off or postponed to another day.

A tournament needs to have its games finish on time. With so much at stake, including fans moving from game to game and giving players several days of rest time, it cannot afford to have postponements.

The show must go on.

With modern technology advancing as quickly as it is, there could be a future World Cup someday that has many or most of its games indoors.

When the U.S. Soccer Federation announced at the 1990 World Cup in Italy that indoor stadiums would be considered as possible venues at USA 94, many European journalists either made fun of the idea or held it in distain. The Silverdome in Pontiac, Mich. eventually was selected as a stadium for the competition. In 2002, the Sapporo Dome in Japan also hosted World Cup matches.

As difficult it is to monitor the weather on a daily basis, it is impossible to predict what the conditions will be like in a year’s time. It could be a cool summer for most of the USA, Mexico and Canada, or it could be one hot time with plenty of stormy weather thrown on inopportune occasions.

Until then, soccer will have to contend with Mother Nature. Whether we like it or not, Mother Nature holds a centuries-long winning streak over anything the human race wants to accomplish outdoors.