FIFPro sounds alarm over 'extreme' conditions at 2026 World Cup

Paris: Global players union FIFPro on Monday sounded the alarm over the dangers of playing in extreme heat at the 2026 World Cup, which will take pla...

Paris: Global players' union FIFPro on Monday sounded the alarm over the dangers of playing in extreme heat at the 2026 World Cup, which will take place across the United States, Mexico and Canada.

In the wake of the Club World Cup, which ran through June and July in the US this year, FIFPro's director of policy and strategic relations Alexander Bielefeld called the tournament "a wake-up call in the context of a warming planet".

With many of the matches in the club tournament taking place in the middle of the afternoon in the US when temperatures often soar well past 30C, FIFPro flagged the "severe challenges to players' and participants' safety and health" when playing in extreme conditions.

To combat this, it said "the existing schedule (for the World Cup) and venue selections may need to be reassessed to better safeguard player health, protect fan well-being, and support optimal performance".

The union also called for longer half-time breaks and more regular cooling breaks.