World Cup Players Say FIFA Heat Policies Fall Short Amid Climate Crisis Threat

Current and former World Cup soccer players have penned an open letter to FIFA, urging the sports governing body to address the heat stress that is expected to be felt by competitors during this summer’s games in North America and to take action to tackle the global climate crisis.

The 2026 World Cup will take place in three separate countries — Canada, the United States, and Mexico — across 39 days this year. The tournament will feature 100 matches involving 48 teams.

A recent report from World Weather Attribution noted that “hazardous heat” could diminish players’ play, and has the potential to put their health at risk. A report from health professionals on the expected heat also suggests that the situation will cause impaired performance, and could lead to fatal health outcomes if not properly addressed.

“When it comes to cooling breaks, it is clear that the 3-minute breaks that FIFA has adopted for all matches are too short to have a meaningful impact on rehydration and body cooling,” an assessment from leading health experts pointed out, referencing the current model implemented by the international soccer organization.

Citing those reports and their own personal experiences with heat exhaustion, dozens of current and former soccer players representing over 20 countries around the world called on FIFA to take the heat problem, created by the global climate crisis, more seriously.

“We find it important that all players are protected from heat impacts, from the grassroots to the elite level,” the letter-writers said. “As the elite playing the World Cup sets the example for players around the world, it’s essential that the best available medical expertise is put to practice.”

“We share the concerns outlined by the medical professionals and support their demand that FIFA updates its heat-stress framework before the World Cup,” they added.

Those demands include doubling the cooling breaks from three minutes to six, and equipping locker rooms with more resources to provide “aggressive pre-game and half-time cooling,” among other actions.

In addition to updating their standards for protecting players and other personnel on the field, the players are also urging FIFA to take greater action to address the global climate crisis.

“It would be a missed opportunity if a sport so impacted by the climate crisis doesn’t take its responsibility in addressing it,” the players said, calling for the organization to drop fossil fuel-related sponsors, and to “take serious climate action to reduce its climate impact” — including creating a “smaller, more regional football calendar.”

Indeed, this year’s event will likely increase FIFA’s carbon footprint in major ways. The number of teams involved has increased by 12 member countries compared to four years ago, meaning 12 additional teams — and fans of those teams — will be traveling across the world to take part. Choosing three separate countries to host the games will also increase the organization’s carbon footprint.

FIFA has a long history of greenwashing its own record when it comes to the climate crisis. In 2022, for example, FIFA President Gianni Infantino requested that fans share videos on how they would “raise FIFA’s green card for the planet” (e.g., how they would themselves do more for the environment), shifting the responsibility of addressing the climate crisis away from the sporting organization. FIFA suggested that this action somehow created a “carbon neutral” World Cup for that year.