Why heat, travel and sleep could challenge teams as much as the opposition at the World Cup
By Emile Nuh, CNN
(CNN) — With the World Cup kicking off on June 11, anticipation is building for what will be the biggest tournament in the competition’s history.
A record 48 teams will compete across 104 matches in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Heavyweights such as France, Spain, England, and Argentina are among the favorites, boasting stars like Kylian Mbappé, Lamine Yamal, Harry Kane and Lionel Messi.
But beyond the obvious challenge of facing off against the best global soccer has to offer, teams will also have to navigate a series of hurdles that stretch far beyond the field of play.
Like Qatar 2022, many games will be played in sweltering conditions. However, unlike Qatar – where every stadium was within driving distance of each other – travel demands will be far greater as matches will be played across 16 cities up to 2,800 miles apart.
Add in the fact the tournament is being played across four time zones with 13 different kickoff times and an expanded schedule, and players will also face varying sleep schedules, increased travel, and heavier workloads for some who haven’t had a full offseason since 2023.
As a result, the team that wins the World Cup may not be the most talented squad, but rather the one that best adapts to the tournament’s array off physical and logistical demands.
Extreme heat
Similar to Qatar, heat has been one of the biggest player welfare concerns heading into this World Cup.
In September 2025, non-profits Football for Future and Common Goal published the “Pitches in Peril” climate report, which found that 10 of the tournament’s 16 venues face a “very high risk” of extreme heat stress.
Concerns intensified last month when 20 international experts in health, climate and sports performance sent an open letter to FIFA, calling its heat policy “inadequate” and warning it could put players at risk of “heat-related injury.”
Their concerns center on FIFA’s use of the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), which measures the combined effects of air temperature, humidity, wind and sunlight on the body. Under FIFA’s Emergency Care Manual, matches are only considered for postponement or cancellation at “the discretion of competition organisers” when WBGT reaches 89.6 degrees Fahrenheit (32 degrees Celsius).
To put that into perspective, the climate experts noted a WBGT of 89.4 degrees Fahrenheit (31.9 degrees Celsius) – just below FIFA’s threshold – can be equivalent to an air temperature of 113 degrees Fahrenheit (45 degrees Celsius) without direct sunlight in low humidity.
The experts also recommended a much lower heat threshold than FIFA, arguing that WBGT levels above 78.8 degrees Fahrenheit (26 degrees Celsius) already create “a high-risk environment for competitive football.” And according to World Weather Attribution, 25 percent of all World Cup matches – including the final at MetLife Stadium – could be played in conditions exceeding that level.
In a statement to CNN Sports, FIFA referred to its Emergency Care Manual and said it “is committed to protecting the health and safety of all players, referees, fans, volunteers and staff. Climate-related risks are assessed as part of overall tournament planning and managed in close coordination with the Host Cities, stadium authorities and national agencies.
“Scheduling has also been developed with climate considerations in mind. The match schedule balances sporting, operational and broadcast requirements while minimising travel, maximising rest days and accounting for local climate profiles and venue infrastructure, based on the extensive heat-risk analysis carried out by FIFA at each location,” adding that it “strategically limited” outdoor matches in the hottest parts of the day.
“FIFA will continue to monitor conditions in real time, integrating Wet Bulb Globe Temperature and Heat Index surveillance, and stands ready to apply established contingency protocols should extreme weather events occur.”
The impact of extreme heat has already been evident at the French Open, where several top players struggled in Paris’ sweltering conditions. And while Roland Garros is taking place more than 3,000 miles away from North America, it highlights the toll extreme temperatures can take on player welfare and performance.
Dominic Rae, a Senior First Team Physiotherapist at Al Nasr Football Club in the United Arab Emirates – where summer temperatures regularly exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), told CNN Sports: “There is going to be a performance crossover between heat, hydration and performance.
“When physiological stress goes up, things like decision-making, cognitive clarity and the ability to produce high physical outputs get impacted.”
All 104 World Cup matches will feature mandatory water breaks, but Rae, who is also Head of Sports Medicine & Performance at The Ten Percent Club, says teams will need much broader strategies around those breaks.
“Managing players’ time on feet and training volume is going to be as important as the actual rehydration at water breaks,” he says.
“If you’re relying on a water break as your hydration strategy, you’ve already got it wrong – hydration starts in the week leading up to the game. This is one thing I learned massively coming out to the Middle East.”
Massive travel distances
Staging a World Cup across three countries inevitably creates logistical challenges, so to help mitigate travel demands, FIFA has grouped teams into regional Western, Central and Eastern “clusters” for much of the group stage and early knockout rounds.
Even so, the tournament’s 16 venues stretch nearly 2,800 miles – for comparison, Europe only stretches about 2,100 miles from north to south.
Among the favorites, France has one of the lighter schedules, traveling just 334 miles during the group stage between New Jersey, Philadelphia and Boston.
However, England and Spain face a much heavier burden.
England will cover 1,721 miles between Arlington, Massachusetts, and New Jersey, while Spain will travel 1,469 miles between Atlanta and Zapopan, Mexico.
It’s a stark contrast to Qatar 2022 and something many European-based players will be relatively unfamiliar with. Of the 52 players selected by England manager Thomas Tuchel and Spain boss Luis de la Fuente, only Three Lions forward Ivan Toney currently plays his club soccer outside Europe.
Brazil and Argentina may be more accustomed to long-distance travel however, as many of their players already do so domestically. Even then, Brazil will still travel 1,094 miles during the group stage, while defending champion Argentina has a more favorable schedule, navigating just 461 miles between Kansas City and Dallas.
It remains to be seen whether that will be an advantage for the Albiceleste, however, because as Rae highlights, “It’s not the travel in itself that causes problems, it’s the inability to intervene off the back of it.” That intervention includes managing training schedules, meal times, recovery and sleep schedules.
But extended travel can also create more nuanced challenges.
Long flights mean prolonged exposure to cabin pressure, which “in itself increases dehydration,” Rae explains. The former Aston Villa First Team Physiotherapist also says flying can be problematic for players managing injuries.
“I’ve had times, even on a two-hour flight to a Champions League game, where a player with an acute or chronic knee injury is on a plane and their knee swells up. And that’s a player that was available.”
So despite most elite players being accustomed to frequent flying, “it’s another variable teams must manage,” he says.
In a tournament where margins are razor-thin, even the effects of extended travel could prove significant.
Disrupted sleep schedules
Sleep may seem like something simple and straightforward, but at a World Cup spread across four time zones with 13 different kickoff times ranging from noon to midnight ET (6 p.m. and 6 a.m. CET), it becomes a major consideration.
Nearly half of the 72 group-stage matches will start between 7 p.m. and midnight ET (1 a.m. and 6 a.m. CET), meaning many European players will be competing deep into what their bodies normally perceive as the middle of the night.
Reigning European champion Spain, for example, will travel 1,469 miles from Atlanta to Zapopan before facing Uruguay on June 26 at 8 p.m. ET – 2 a.m. on Spanish soil.
England has left little to chance, reportedly bringing customized “sleep kits” to its Kansas City base, including mattress toppers tailored to each players’ body type and cooling pillows to offset the heat and humidity.
It may sound excessive, but in an environment characterized by immense pressure, sleep can easily get affected, and there’s no greater pressure cooker than the World Cup.
“Sleep is the most important tool for recovery, and alongside hydration and nutrition, it should be the number one priority,” says Rae, who also explains how the key is to maintain familiar routines.
“This is where I see so many coaches and background staff get it wrong. Whatever the normal sleep routine is a player just did for the whole season, stick to that within the camp.
“If a player normally has dinner at 7 p.m., don’t suddenly decide to have dinner at 9 p.m. and a meeting at 10 p.m. They haven’t done that for the last 10 months.
“Likewise, if they’ve not been sleeping with air conditioning on and you’re going to a hotel with air conditioning, how’s that affecting room ventilation and temperature?
“If they have a certain type of pillow, bring it. Give them that same pillow they’ve had for the last 10 months.”
“These are the types of things teams need to look at to really micromanage and delve into the detail of sleep.”
Of course, no team wins a World Cup simply because it has the most comprehensive sleep strategy, training schedule or hydration plan. Talent, tactics, and execution will always matter most.
But among the favorites where the margins are already small, those details can become decisive – especially coming off two previous summers of tournament soccer with the 2025 Club World Cup, and European Championship and Copa América in 2024.
But as Rae puts it: “If you have two equally capable teams like Spain and France, the one that manages these key pillars right will have the best advantage.”
The-CNN-Wire
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