Already controversial because of extra fixtures and Fifa involvement, the new tournament in the US is likely to be played in temperatures above 30C
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cross this weekend, the US National Weather Service is predicting “moderate” heat risk for Miami and Los Angeles. With temperatures likely to exceed 30C, the agency warns “most individuals sensitive to heat” will be affected, a group which contains those “exercising or doing strenuous activity outdoors during the heat of the day”. This weekend is also when the Club World Cup begins.
When Lionel Messi and Inter Miami kick off the tournament on Saturday night against Al Ahly of Egypt it will be 8pm in Miami and although the humidity is predicted to be high, the day’s peak temperatures will have passed. Paris Saint-Germain and Atlético Madrid, however, will play under the full height of the California sun on Sunday, with their Group B fixture a midday kick-off at the famously uncovered Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
Fifa’s Club World Cup has become a lightning rod for debate over any number of aspects of men’s elite football. The expansion of the fixture calendar, Fifa’s incursion into the club game, the use of dynamic pricing to sell match tickets, all have proven controversial but each is resolvable. This summer’s shiny new tournament is, however, about to confront another challenge over which the game’s governing bodies have less control: our changing climate.
