https://www.dailymail.com/sciencetech/article-15870111/Football-fans-SLOW-World-Cup-heat.html
By XANTHA LEATHAM, EXECUTIVE SCIENCE EDITOR
UK Daily Mail excerpt:
It’s a tournament marked by explosive speed, quick decision–making and rapid changes in play – but the World Cup could be noticeably slower this year, scientists have warned.
Experts examined the odds of temperatures exceeding 28°C (82.4°F) – a threshold linked to declines in player performance – across the 104 scheduled matches this summer.
Overall, they discovered 93 per cent of games could be affected.
Previous research shows temperatures above this level can reduce sprint frequency, total distance covered by players, and recovery time.
This would impact not only player performance and safety but also match tempo, tactics and overall style of play.
The warning comes from the charity Climate Central, which has created an interactive tool that analyses how each team could be affected by heat.
And it’s bad news for England’s first match – as there is a 95 per cent chance of performance–impairing temperatures in their game against Croatia.
‘During the 2026 World Cup, we’ll likely see the real–time consequences of a warming world on this sport – heat that puts the health and performance of players at risk,’ the organisation said.
It’s bad news for England’s first match – as there is a 95 per cent chance of performance–impairing heat in their game against Croatia
If England makes it to the final, they will be playing in four matches with above 50 per cent odds of performance–impacting heat, the researchers said.
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Climate Central scientists used historical data to analyse the likelihood that daily temperatures will exceed the 28°C (82.4°F) performance–impairing threshold during the 104 World Cup matches.
They discovered warming caused by climate change is boosting the odds of debilitating heat by around eight per cent.
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