FIFA president confirms one big change for the 2026 World Cup

This summer’s Club World Cup has been the first of its kind in the long history of club soccer. It has proved that the concept could be popular, but there are some changes that need to be made.

The United States, host of the CWC, is also one of three co-hosts of next summer’s World Cup, alongside Mexico and Canada. With that tournament scheduled to take place across June and July there have been concerns raised about the temperatures that players and fans will be exposed to.

Speaking at a press conference in New York City, FIFA president Gianni Infantino acknowledged that the extreme conditions had been an issue at the Club World Cup. He confirmed that they will look to make changes to improve the situation.

“Every criticism we receive is a source for us to study and analyse what can do better,” Infantino told reporters. “Of course the heat is an issue. Last year, at the Olympic Games in Paris, games during the day, in all sports, took place in very hot conditions.”

“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.”

That final point is a major concession change from this year’s tournament, where players were playing open-air stadiums like Bank of America Stadium (Charlotte, North Carolina) and the Rose Bowl (Pasadena, California) at the hottest parts of the day.

A number of players have already expressed their frustration with the organization of this year’s tournament. Argentinian midfielder Enzo Fernandez, who will be playing for Chelsea in the final on Sunday, admitted that he had felt dizzy during games and

“The truth is that the heat is incredible. I really don’t know. The other day I got a little dizzy during a play, I had to throw myself on the ground because I was dizzy,” he revealed. “The truth is that playing in this temperature is very dangerous. Obviously for the spectacle, the people who come to enjoy the stadium.

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