The one thing FIFA didn’t anticipate in gifting North America its World Cup? Climate change.

French star Kylian Mbappe drinks from a water bottle during searing temperatures at the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 semifinal match between Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid. | Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt – AMA/Getty Images

Searing temperatures have soccer’s governing body looking into hosting more matches in air conditioned venues to combat the heat

Perhaps the one thing the FIFA Club World Cup showcased was the volatility and unpredictability of an American summer.

Intense heat and unforeseen thunderstorms caused ire among many teams, enough to force the hand of FIFA president Gianni Infantino to elect to move matches to arena with adequate roofing and air conditioning as the venues to host daytime matches.

Right now, that would encompass just three stadiums in the United States, Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, NRG Stadium in Houston and AT&T Stadium in Dallas in addition to the retractable roof of BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.

It remains to be seen if FIFA will add more games at night, more matches at those venues or make this just lip service, but judging by the gripes of players who took part in the Club World Cup, in addition to the International Federation of Professional Footballers, which is essentially the players association getting involved and imploring FIFA to figure out a solution, soccer’s governing body does have its hands tied at the moment.

“Every criticism we receive is a source for us,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said during the knockout rounds of the Club World Cup. “Of course, the heat is an issue. Last year, at the Olympic Games in Paris (France), games during the day, in all sports, took place in very hot conditions. The cooling breaks are very important and we will see what we can do but we have stadiums with roofs and we will definitely use these stadiums during the day next year.”

Photo by Michael Regan – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said that reactions from the Club World Cup offered a great opportunity to “to study and analyze what we can do better.”

The issue is not a new one for FIFA who found the bulk of its matches at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar held at night to mitigate the heat. It’s no surprise that summer in the States is no joke and of the 11 venues in the States, a number of them are located in States that typically exhibit warmer temperatures year round. Places like Miami, Los Angeles, Dallas, are all slated to host multiple matches next year.

The issue FIFA has now as it plans out not just the draw of the matches, are the times and to ensure those times don’t conflict with other major events being planned for over that span. For example, Philadelphia, which is scheduled to host six matches at Lincoln Financial Field, is also the home for the nation’s 250th anniversary celebration.

Photo by Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images
World Cup fans might need to find creative ways to beat the heat during daytime games at the FIFA World Cup next summer.

Philly is scheduled to host a round of 16 match on July 4 and although it’s yet to be determined if that match will be played during the day, the stadium isn’t equipped with a retractable roof which almost assuredly pits that game as a night match.

Ultimately, many feel players should just play as FIFA has baked cooling breaks into each match over the course of the tournament. But it was players like Chelsea’s Enzo Fernandez, winner of the Club World Cup, explicitly expressed that the “dangerous heat” made him feel “dizzy.”

Whether you call it Mother Nature or the effects of climate change, all of it gives FIFA more to consider as they plan for their marquee men’s event — and their biggest moneymaker.