World Cup will use more indoor venues for day-time kick-offs to combat heat

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  • Infantino takes action following concerns about player safety at the Club World Cup
  • ‘Heat is certainly a concern. We have secured stadiums’
  

  FIFA President Gianni Infantino has announced that air-conditioned indoor venues will be utilized as much as possible for daytime matches during the 2026 World Cup to address anticipated high temperatures. There have been worries regarding player safety during the Club World Cup in the United States, which will co-host next year’s tournament alongside Canada and Mexico.

  Enzo Fernández characterized the conditions during Chelsea’s semi-final against Fluminense, when temperatures reached 35 °C, as “extremely hazardous”.

  Infantino indicated that there would be a greater emphasis on utilizing indoor air-conditioned facilities in cities such as Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Vancouver. A total of 16 venues will host the event—11 in the United States, two in Canada, and three in Mexico. Among these, Vancouver boasts the coolest average temperatures in June and July compared to the other indoor locations.

  “The heat is certainly a concern,” Infantino remarked. “It’s a global issue. I recall similar situations during the Olympics in Paris and other football events. However, we have stadiums in the U.S. that are covered, as well as one in Canada located in Vancouver, and we will definitely make greater use of these facilities during the daytime.”

  “We were informed that it wouldn’t be financially viable, but I can confidently state that we generated over $2 billion (£1.48 billion) in revenue from this competition. We averaged $33 million per match. No other cup competition worldwide comes close to that figure. It is already the most successful club competition globally.”

  In response to criticism regarding low attendance at certain matches, Infantino pointed out that 2.5 million tickets were sold, averaging 40,000 attendees per match. “There is no league in the world that can match that number, except for the Premier League, which, of course, has home teams.”

  Infantino proclaimed the Club World Cup a significant financial triumph, stating that the revamped 32-team tournament has brought in nearly £1.5 billion in revenue. The competition will conclude in New York on Sunday with a final match between Paris Saint-Germain and Chelsea, which is expected to be attended by Donald Trump.

  Infantino expressed, “The golden age of global club football has begun. We can definitely say that this FIFA Club World Cup has been an enormous, enormous success. Naturally, there are many positives and some negatives. We respect all opinions. It has been a success.”

  Infantino extended his gratitude to Trump for his support of the tournament. “He is passionate about the game,” he stated. “You cannot organize an event of this magnitude without the full backing of the government. A big thank you to President Trump—he has been fantastic, and he will also be attending the final tomorrow.