2026 World Cup Heat: Players' Union Says Too Many Games Played in Dangerous Conditions

A Guardian review found roughly one in five 2026 World Cup matches were played in heat the players' union, FIFPRO, calls dangerous enough to pause play. Another 23 games faced similar heat but used stadium air conditioning. FIFA uses a higher heat limit than FIFPRO's and hasn't adopted the union's standard. Think of it as two thermometers reading the same weather differently.