England Coach Thomas Tuchel Expresses Concern Over 2026 World Cup Heat (image-instagram/thomasthuch)
England coach Thomas Tuchel, who is all set to attend FIFA’s Club World Cup starting this month, will observe how his players cope with the expected heat and humid weather conditions in North America.
FIFA World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be held in the United States, Canada, and Mexico, and could be one of the hottest in the tournament’s history. “It is important to see matches now in America, and in Miami at three in the afternoon,” Tuchel said as he prepared his team for their World Cup qualifier against Andorra in Barcelona. “I will see that. How it looks, and we need to understand how to cool the players down, to drink. What our options are.”
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The England team is preparing for the Andorra game in the Spanish city of Girona and is using heat tents to test the players’ reaction and recovery to training in heat and humidity.
The team is top of qualifying Group K and almost certain to qualify for next year’s tournament, and they are among the favourites for the title. However, Tuchel expressed his concern over the harsh climate.
“Let’s see, because it is after the season, so it will be very similar. The actual experience is for the players, but I have done pre-season there in Orlando, and I will be very surprised if we do not suffer,” he said. “Suffering is one of the headlines for this World Cup.”
Sixteen stadiums will be used for the World Cup. In Dallas, one of the host cities, in an average year, more than 80 per cent of June and July days exceed 28 degrees Celsius.
According to Brunel University, based on the last 20 years of weather data, 14 of the 16 host stadiums would top 28 degrees Celsius daily in June and July. And it is likely to hit 32 degrees in hot summers as well.
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Meanwhile, FIFPRO, the world players’ union, had recommended that if there is a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature between 28–32 degrees, cooling breaks should take place around the 30th and 75th minutes.
