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Doubts about the timing of the Europe-Latin clash
The France-Paraguay 2026 World Cup Round of 16 match tomorrow morning on Sunday is at risk of being delayed or canceled due to extreme heat, amid warnings from experts that players and fans could be at risk.
The newspaper reported.The sunThe British newspaper reported that the temperature in the city of Philadelphia is likely to exceed 38 degrees Celsius, while the air temperature in the open stadium can reach about 46 degrees as a result of the high level of humidity.
Bharat Venkat, director of the University of California Thermal Laboratory, warned of the dangers of playing games in such conditions, saying: “When players exert great physical effort on very hot days, the risk of heat exhaustion increases significantly, and in some cases the risks can even lead to death.”
The concerns are not limited to the players, but also include fans and work crews inside the stadium, which has no temperature control or cooling systems.
The Fédération Internationale de Football Associations (FIFA) is expected to rely on drinking water breaks, in addition to providing cooling areas and implementing special protocols to deal with the heat. However, these measures do not appear to be sufficient from the perspective of the International Professional Footballers’ Federation (FIFPRO) and a number of experts, who have called for matches to be postponed when weather conditions become unsafe.
FIFA regulations state that matches can be postponed if the temperature exceeds 32 degrees Celsius, raising doubts about whether the France-Paraguay clash can go ahead as planned.
France’s players resorted to water sprinklers to cool off during their previous match against Sweden in New Jersey after the temperature reached 32 degrees Celsius.
In the same context, a number of scientists have criticized FIFA’s standards for dealing with the heat and considered them inadequate, given the harsh climatic conditions that the United States is witnessing during the summer.
Weather concerns are not limited to the France-Paraguay match, with concerns raised about facing England and Mexico in the same round, after Mexican media spoke of the possibility of the match being moved forward by several hours due to poor weather conditions and the possibility of hurricanes in Mexico City.
Despite the news, FIFA kept the matchday as it was after Mexico’s previous match against Ecuador had already been postponed due to heavy rain.
The match will also be played at an altitude of more than 2,200 meters above sea level at the Azteca Stadium, conditions that give Mexico an advantage given their habit of playing at this altitude, while it could affect England’s players’ ability to endure and recover, in addition to the difference in ball movement at altitude described by England coach Thomas. “significant”.
