Most World Cup Venues Face ‘Unplayable’ Extreme Heat Conditions: Report

The 2026 World Cup “could be the last World Cup of its kind in [North America]. Without significant adaptation, it is unlikely that future tournaments in North America will follow the same model as 2026 — with traditional summer scheduling, current infrastructure standards, and minimal climate protocols,” the “Pitches in Peril” report warned.

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From extreme weather events affecting pitches to increasing heat-related health risks for players, climate change is posing an array of challenges to the football industry that threaten not only individual events but also the sport’s very future.

This is the grim image emerging from the “Pitches in Peril” report, which highlights the threats that climate change poses to the football industry.

Compiled by Football for the Future, Common Goal and Jupiter Intelligence, the report found that 14 of the 16 FIFA World Cup 2026 venues are already exceeding “safe-play thresholds” for extreme heat, unplayable rainfall, and flooding. By mid-century, the report warns that nearly 90% of host stadiums will face unsafe extreme heat conditions and 11 stadiums will experience unplayable heat.

The “safe-play” benchmark for extreme heat is 35C (95F), which represents the limit of human adaptability to extreme heat. Once this threshold is reached, the body’s natural cooling system begins to fail, heightening the risk of heatstroke and dehydration, both for players and spectators. According to the report, several of the 2026 World Cup locations are already recording temperatures at or above this threshold.

Topping the list of the most climate-vulnerable stadiums in North America are Miami, Houston, Dallas in the US and Monterrey in Mexico. These are all at risk of having 100-160 days of unplayable heat by 2050, as well as flash flooding, extreme winds and water scarcity, according to the report.

A similar assessment of football stadiums published last November also identified stadiums in Houston and Monterrey as facing “unacceptable ­thermal stress” risk. It warned that footballers face a “very high risk of experiencing extreme heat stress” at 10 of the 16 stadiums that will host the next World Cup, with the combination of hot weather and heavy exercise potentially exposing them to feel-like temperatures as high as 49.5C (121.1F).

Disruptions

Climate change is already disrupting football at all levels, the report said. In England, 120,000 grassroots matches are canceled annually due to poor weather, and by 2050, a quarter of professional clubs could face yearly flood risks.

But the disruptions are not limited to local games. In the past year, floods in Spain and a hurricane and wildfires in the US affected elite league matches. Even major tournaments are not immune, with the African Cup of Nations and the World Cup having to reschedule events due to unsafe conditions. Most recently, the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup in the US saw multiple matches delayed by record heat and severe thunderstorms.

The 2026 World Cup “could be the last World Cup of its kind in [North America],” the report warned.

“Without significant adaptation, it is unlikely that future tournaments in North America will follow the same model as 2026 — with traditional summer scheduling, current infrastructure standards, and minimal climate protocols.”

Climate Advocacy

A survey commissioned by the report’s authors found that the sport’s fans are overwhelmingly in support of more climate action and sustainability initiatives. 91% of 3,613 football fans across three host nations – the US, Mexico, and Canada – said they believe the World Cup should be a global role model for sustainability in sport.

86% said clubs and governing bodies should speak out on climate, even if they are still working on reducing their footprint, while 91% said they would feel proud if their club took visible climate action.

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For the report’s authors, football’s global visibility poses a unique opportunity to turn the world’s attention toward climate action.

“It’s time to give climate science the respect it deserves and to champion the values football embodies: belief, teamwork, accountability. Every club, player, fan and organisation has a role to play,” said Elliot Arthur-Worsop, Founding Director of Football For Future.

The report included some recommendations to accelerate climate action in the industry, from enforcing emissions targets and embedding adaptation strategies in both elite and grassroots infrastructure to allocating money to climate funds for host communities. The industry must also work to reduce its environmental impact by forging partnerships with sustainable sponsors, investing in climate-ready grassroots pitches, and also improving sustainable transport and clean energy infrastructure.