The FIFA Club World Cup, in its bold new format and expanded global reach, was supposed to represent the peak of club soccer—the ultimate showdown of elite squads across continents. But behind the glitz and glamour of marquee matches and billion-dollar valuations, one pressing concern has quietly grown louder with each match: player safety under extreme weather conditions.
A stark reminder of this issue unfolded in Miami, where Juventus clashed with Real Madrid in a hotly anticipated round of 16 encounter. The game ended in a 1-0 defeat for the Italian side, but what truly caught headlines wasn’t the scoreline—it was what unfolded on the sidelines.
As temperatures soared to 30°C (86°F) with humidity hovering around 70%, the match at Hard Rock Stadium turned into a physical and mental test of survival. The sweltering afternoon kickoff led to an unprecedented moment in modern soccer.
“In the end, 10 players asked to be substituted,” Juventus manager Igor Tudor revealed post-match, as reported by ESPN. “The exhaustion was incredible. There’s the tension of this match, which burns your energy. Then there’s this heat, which really gets to you, and the third thing that completes the conditions is playing in this humidity.”
Despite the maximum of five substitutions allowed (or six in extra time), double that number of players asked out—a clear indication of just how overwhelming the conditions were.
Multiple complaints across the tournament
This wasn’t an isolated case. Throughout the tournament, cooling breaks have been required in 33 of 56 games, and more than one manager has spoken out.
“It’s already seven, eight, nine games that they suspended. It’s a joke to be honest,” lamented Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca after a 113-minute weather delay in Charlotte. Meanwhile, Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac quipped he was “sweating like I’ve just come out of a sauna” following his side’s group match in Cincinnati.
Even FIFPRO, the global players’ union, has intervened, urging FIFA to revise guidelines on match conditions. According to their experts, cooling breaks should begin at a Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) of 28°C, not 32°C, and matches should be delayed if it climbs any higher.
The conditions in Miami—while not even the hottest of the tournament—raise urgent questions about FIFA’s scheduling and the feasibility of summer tournaments in North America. The 2026 World Cup, also scheduled across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, now faces renewed scrutiny.
