The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 kicks off on June 15. However, the tournament is facing an undeniable challenge, which is the harsh hot weather.
The National Weather Service forecasts that temperatures in Miami and Los Angeles could exceed 30°C. This has prompted experts to warn of the risk of heatstroke for outdoor physical activity, including both players and fans.
According to the schedule, the opening match between Inter Miami and Al Ahly takes place at 20:00 on June 14 local time (7:00 am on June 15, Hanoi time), while the anticipated confrontation between PSG and Atletico Madrid takes place at noon on June 15 at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena.
This is the time when the temperature rises to the highest level of the day, which can cause dehydration, low blood pressure, and even affect the lives of players playing on the field and fans.
In fact, at Copa America 2024 also held in the US, there were cases of defender Ronald Araujo ( Uruguay) having to leave the field due to dizziness and dehydration, or assistant referee Humberto Panjoj collapsed while leading the match between Canada and Peru with temperatures up to 38 degrees Celsius.
35 of the 63 FIFA Club World Cup 2025 matches are scheduled to take place before 5:00 p.m. According to research by the Fossil Free Football team, 8 out of 11 stadiums in this tournament do not have any or limited coverage, four of which have suffered severe heat waves in the past 5 years.
Although the World Football Federation (FIFA) has a regulation on "recharge breaks" when the WBGT temperature (measuring the level of heat stress including humidity and movement of the air) exceeds 32°C, the FIFPro Professional Players Association believes this is not enough and proposes more rest time if necessary.
Although it is close to the start date of the FIFA Club World Cup 2025, FIFA has not yet taken specific measures to adjust the match schedule to suit the harsh weather conditions. Meanwhile, the tight schedule and broadcasting requirements make it very low to adjust the competition time.
