Terrible humidity and thunderstorms could disrupt World Cup matches, affect players' performance

The upcoming World Cup is set to begin under the threat of harsh North American summer weather, including extreme heat, suffocating humidity, and disruptive thunderstorms. Seasonal forecasts indicate higher-than-normal temperatures across large parts of the United States, coupled with moisture from the Gulf of Mexico fueling severe weather events during the tournament's opening weeks. While specific match conditions remain unpredictable this far in advance, sports scientists warn of significant weather-related risks for the event spanning Canada, Mexico, and the United States.

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Seventy-five per cent of all the energy that we utilise during exercise gets converted to heat. Only about 25% goes to actually doing the exercise.

Experts emphasize that the wet-bulb globe temperature, which accounts for heat, humidity, sunlight, and wind, is a crucial indicator of heat stress on the body, rather than air temperature alone. World Weather Attribution has cautioned that approximately a quarter of the matches could be played under conditions exceeding recommended safety limits. Elite athletes generate substantial internal heat during exertion, and high humidity particularly hinders the body's natural cooling process, as sweat must evaporate to be effective.

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One of the hardest things for us is when the humidity is very high.

Furthermore, climate change is exacerbating these conditions. New research suggests that the likelihood of temperatures affecting player performance has increased significantly for most World Cup matches. For instance, a group-stage match between Uruguay and Spain in Guadalajara is projected to have a 70% chance of performance-impairing heat, a substantial increase attributed to climate change. This elevated heat and humidity could not only impact player welfare but also alter the pace and style of play, potentially slowing down games as athletes struggle to balance explosive efforts with the demands of a long match in adverse conditions. Nearly half of all matches face at least a 50% chance of temperatures exceeding 28 degrees Celsius (82.4 degrees Fahrenheit), a threshold known to negatively affect sprinting, distance covered, and recovery.

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Higher temperature, higher humidity is likely to slow games down. When athletes have to perform for a very long time, they're just not going to be able to balance the explosive power of their fast-twitch efforts with the more aerobic long-term efforts of a 90-plus minute game in the heat and humidity.