With the 2026 FIFA World Cup fast approaching, some researchers are sounding the alarm bell about the risk posed by extreme heat in many of the 16 North American host cities, including Toronto.
In a recent study published in The International Journal of Biometeorology , an international team of researchers, including from the University of Toronto, found that 14 out of the 16 cities have temperatures that are too hot to play soccer at least some of the time in the months of June and July, when the event is scheduled to occur.
"We examined the risk of extreme heat by modelling Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) - a widely used measure of heat stress - for the host locations using hourly meteorological data for the period from 2003 to 2022," says Madeleine Orr, an assistant professor at U of T's Faculty of Kinesiology & Physical Education (KPE), who was involved in the study.
"Our results show that 14 out of 16 host locations exceed WBGTs of 28 C, with some exceeding this threshold more than half the time during afternoons."
This threshold is important as it's the level beyond which some football governing bodies recommend delaying or postponing matches.
Based on these findings, the researchers are calling for kick-off times to be rescheduled outside the hottest afternoon hours (when games are usually scheduled) in those host locations that have the highest heat risk and no indoor air-conditioned soccer fields - primarily Miami and Monterrey, but also Philadelphia, Kansas City, Boston and New York.
"We are calling for stronger heat policies at the FIFA World Cup to protect players, referees, people working the events and the fans," says Orr. "At the same time, we want to highlight the need for careful assessment of heat risk ahead of any major sporting events to help inform any potential interventions needed in the scheduling of matches and competitions."
In 2022, the FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar was moved from summer to winter due to extreme heat.
