Climate And Heat Concerns Overshadow FIFA’s Expanded Club World Cup
Climate, environment and heat concerns loom large ahead of the first 32 team FIFA Club World Cup that kicks off this weekend, taking place from June 15 to July 13 across 12 major U.S. cities.
Fans and players face mounting risks as climate change drives higher temperatures. FIFA has come under fire from critics for the environmental footprint of its expanded tournament format and fossil fuel sponsorship deals.
Heat Concerns For Club World Cup
With many tournament matches being scheduled to take place during the hottest parts of the day, heat exposure risks are raising alarms. Of particular concern are games in open-air stadiums that lack climate-controlled roofing, including Camping World Stadium in Orlando, the Rose Bowl in Los Angeles, and Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium.
These concerns are well founded, following heat stress incidents during the 2024 Copa América, which took place in the U.S. summer months. Players, referees, and supporters were affected, with assistant referee Humberto Panjoj fainting from heat exhaustion during one game.
“With tournaments like the Club World Cup featuring dense match schedules and hot climates in locations such as Orlando and Miami, extreme heat is becoming an increasingly important health and safety issue in professional football,” a spokesperson from international players’ union FIFPRO told The Guardian. They plan to “closely monitor the situation in the coming weeks with a view to prioritising player welfare over other considerations.”
Concerns align with research on the extreme heat risk and potential implications for 2026 FIFA World Cup scheduling. Club World Cup being widely viewed as a precursor to the 2026 tournament. “Teams at the 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup will face heat stress beyond recognised thresholds, especially during afternoon kick-offs,” says Dr Oliver Gibson, co-author of the research, who specialises in heat stress and performance physiology at Brunel University.
Chief operations officer for the 2026 Men’s World Cup, Heimo Schirigi, recently called the upcoming 2025 tournament “a gift,” from an operational perspective. “Everyone is eager to come back after the Club World Cup and say ‘OK, this is what we learned. This is what we need to change. This is what we can keep.’”
Given the global nature of the events and broadcast imperatives to enable as many people globally to watch games live, kick off times may not change, even in light of extreme heat risks to players and fans.
“Organisers need to consider bringing in effective heat management strategies to reduce the negative impact of heat stress on players’ health and performance. They should also consider scheduling fixtures outside the times of day where heat stress is greatest and introduce cooling breaks during fixtures played in temperature extremes,” Gibson shared. Advice for fans on how to stay cool is being publicised by local media in cities hosting upcoming matches.
Environmental Impact of Expanded Club World Cup
The FIFA Club World Cup has previously taken place annually, and featured seven teams. The champions of the six continental confederations within FIFA, plus the host nation’s league winner.
Now featuring 32 teams and taking place every four years, this expanded format has environmental ramifications, from the delivery of more games to carbon footprints from increased player and fan travel. FIFA plans to present a proposal to increase the number of participating teams from 32 to 48 starting in 2029, according to The Guardian.
The FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026, will feature 48 teams for the first time, up from 32 teams in 2022. Recently an official proposal to expand the men’s 2030 World Cup to 64 teams was put forward by Conmebol, the South American governing body.
Inclusion, development and solidarity are the cited reasons for expansion according to FIFA president Gianni Infantino. However, the environmental impacts of ever-growing soccer tournaments in an increasingly hostile climate cannot be ignored. Global climate predictions show temperatures are expected to continue at or near record levels in the next five years according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization. This will increase climate risks and impacts on societies and economies.
Who Wants The Expanded Format Club World Cup?
Fans aren’t clamouring for tickets for the FIFA Club World Cup, if reported price reduction of thousands of tickets are anything to go by. Infantino has attributed this to dynamic pricing. Stadium sections have also been closed and tickets reallocated.
However, fans from over 130 countries have booked their places, which FIFA says is “a clear sign of global anticipation and reach,” in a statement to Associated Press. On FIFA’s climate awareness website page, it shares ways fans can make a difference, saying “you can fly less often, take public transport and cycle more.”
In October 2024, FIFPRO Europe, European Leagues, who represent European player unions and national leagues and LaLiga, filed a complaint to the European Commission against FIFA over its imposition of the international match calendar, including decisions relating to the FIFA Club World Cup 2025. Premier League CEO, Richard Masters said at the time, “it is getting to a tipping point. The feedback we have from players is that there is too much football being played and there is constant expansion.”
English professional soccer player David Wheeler agrees. “The negative effect on players themselves includes higher rates of injuries and mental health issues. It’s just unsustainable.” He understands how this might sound. “Don’t get me wrong, football players are very fortunate, but they have family and friends they want to see in the off-season, and for some the schedule doesn’t allow that.”
Reacting to the fact Barcelona F.C. is not in the FIFA Club World Cup, Frenkie de Jong, soccer player for Barcelona and Netherlands national team also shared, “I’m very happy with that. Maybe it is less for the club, financially. For us it is great. Nobody wants that, the audience isn’t looking forward to it either, hardly any tickets are sold. It’s annoying for those boys: if you get far in the tournament, you don’t have a holiday.”
Inclusion Goals or “Brazen Greed”?
“FIFA must look at its own emissions. Expanded World Cups and Club World Cups, with more teams and more air travel, are steps in the wrong direction,” Wheeler wrote recently, as he brought together a group of 30 soccer players to ask FIFA, football associations and clubs to stop inking sponsorship deals with fossil fuel companies.
Wheeler shared this effort stands on the shoulders of a 2023 open letter signed by over 130 female soccer players, urging FIFA to reconsider its sponsorship deal with Saudi oil company Aramco.
Speaking at a conference in London this week, he expanded on this calling FIFA’s sponsorship and expanded competitions “brazen greed.” He followed this up saying, “fans, players and people who work within football need to ask for change. FIFA will keep being greedy and wanting more power. Who is it in service of? Not anyone but themselves.”
What Is FIFA And Club World Cup Doing On Environmental Sustainability?
FIFA has committed to reducing its emissions by 50% by 2030 and achieve net-zero emissions by 2040 as part of UNFCCC Sports For Climate Action, this includes guidance to listen to fans and put them at the heart of climate action.
For Club World Cup specifically the organisation is implementing “concrete initiatives” in three areas. Operational responsibility, by minimising waste, promoting recycling and food donations and managing resources efficiently at venues. Sustainable sourcing, by carrying out due diligence on supply chains to meet the sustainability and human rights standards outlined in the FIFA sustainable sourcing code, and protecting wildlife by taking measures to safeguard and manage stray animals around stadiums.
They are running a climate awareness campaign with fans. Registered ticket holders can pledge towards reducing their carbon footprint and then be in with a chance of winning one of the 50 FIFA Store vouchers in a prize draw. On its climate awareness page, it states, “the Earth’s climate is changing due to human activity, causing a variety of sudden and gradual changes to the weather and the environment. Football is not immune to these significant changes. We all need to reduce the emissions that enter the atmosphere.”
As the FIFA Club World Cup kicks off amid heat concerns and scrutiny of climate action, it encapsulates a growing tension in global sport. Continued growth versus the need for environmental responsibility. With more matches, more travel, and more exposure to climate risks, this tournament isn’t just a test event for the 2026 Men’s World Cup, it’s a test of FIFA’s willingness to reckon with the climate consequences of its own ambitions.
