After heat concerns dominated the U.S.-based Club World Cup, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said covered stadiums will be used at the 2026 World Cup.
“Every criticism we receive is a source for us to study and analyse what can do better,” Infantino said to reporters at a media conference in New York. “…Cooling breaks are very important and we will see what we can do, but we have stadiums with roofs and we will definitely use these stadiums during the day next year.”
The decision came ahead of the Paris Saint-Germain vs. Chelsea Club World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where the temperature at kickoff is expected to be 83 degrees Fahrenheit. But humidity could make it feel like 91 degrees Fahrenheit at the 3 p.m. ET start time.
Blues midfielder Enzo Fernandez brought attention once again on the heat during a media session at practice.
Some of the world’s best club soccer teams will compete in a World Cup-style tournament in the United States.
“Honestly, the heat is incredible,” Fernandez said Friday. “The other day I got a little dizzy during a play. I had to lie down on the ground because I was really dizzy. Playing in this temperature in very dangerous.”
FIFA’s players’ union, FIFPRO, gave the soccer body pre-tournament advice on postponing Club World Cup kickoff times, but it was not taken up.
FIFPRO also said extra heat mitigation measures could include 20-minute halftime breaks instead of 15 to help lower players’ core temperatures, and cooling breaks in play every 15 minutes. Breaks have only been taken in the 30th minute of each half.
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The Club World Cup also saw several thunderstorm delays with the games held on the East Coast, with the Chelsea-Benfica round-of-16 game postponed by two hours.
“I think it’s a joke to be honest, it’s not football,” Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca had said. “It’s not for us. You cannot be inside [for so long].
“It’s completely something new but I struggle to understand. I can understand that for security reasons, you have to suspend the game. But if you suspend seven, eight games, that means that probably is not the right place to do this competition.”
Specific plans on if new covered stadiums will be used or if any current non-covered stadium will be replaced are not yet known.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
