WASHINGTON (AP) — For teams competing in next year’s World Cup, Friday was a day to learn about their opponent.
Saturday was spent figuring out other logistics, namely the venue and time of the game.
of whole schedule The dates for the 2026 Games, which will be held in Canada, Mexico and the United States, were announced the following Saturday. draw In the preliminary round, the field of 48 teams was divided into 12 groups of four players each. By now, every team knows how much travel they will face while playing their first, and possibly just three, games. You can also estimate how much heat will affect it.
Even Canadian coach Jesse Marsh, whose team is playing in Group B and will be north of the border in Toronto and Vancouver, is taking weather into consideration. Canada will open the season in Toronto against the winners of the European playoffs, and since that game is at 3 p.m., it will probably be pretty hot.
“We’re going to make sure our players are healthy,” Marsh said. “We’re going to make sure they’re adaptable to whatever the weather is.”
Heat has long been an issue at the World Cup. of Qatar 2022 Games As such, it was played later in the year. The last time the World Cup was held in the United States in 1994, matches were played primarily during the day. While this was convenient for European television viewers, it could result in sweltering heat in places like the Cotton Bowl in Dallas.
More than 30 years later, the venue is not being used for the 2026 World Cup. Instead, games in the Dallas area will be held at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The home of the NFL’s Cowboys has a retractable roof. The same goes for the stadiums in Houston and Atlanta.
SoFi Stadium, home of the Los Angeles Rams in Inglewood, California, has a roof, but air can enter from outside. With five games scheduled for the afternoon, SoFi is a place where temperatures could rise.
Heat could also be a concern at Mexican venues such as Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, Estadio Akron in Guadalajara and Estadio BBVA in Monterrey. American soccer fans are well aware of how harsh both the temperature and altitude of Aztec can be for visiting teams. However, this year’s tournament will have almost all matches played at night at three venues in Mexico.
data
Here are the group stage matches where heat is most likely to be an issue at kickoff. This is based on a 30-year average of Accuweather’s “RealFeel” temperatures. Arlington, Houston, and Atlanta are not included because of their roofs. Always local:
88 Degrees — Switzerland vs. Europe Playoff A Winner (June 18, 12 p.m., Inglewood)
87 Degrees — Belgium vs. Iran (June 21, 12:00 p.m., Inglewood)
87 degrees — Curacao vs. Ivory Coast (June 25, 4 p.m., Philadelphia)
86 Degrees — Tunisia vs. Netherlands (6 p.m. June 25, Kansas City, Missouri)
85 Degrees — Scotland vs. Brazil (6 p.m. June 24, Miami Gardens, Fla.)
85 Degrees — Ecuador vs. Germany (June 25, 4 p.m., East Rutherford, N.J.)
85 Degrees — Norway vs. France (3 p.m. June 26, Foxboro, Mass.)
84 Degrees — Qatar vs. Switzerland (June 13, 12:00 p.m., Santa Clara, California)
84 Degrees — Uruguay vs. Cape Verde (6 p.m. June 21, Miami Gardens)
84 Degrees — South Africa vs. South Korea (June 24, 7 p.m., Monterrey)
84 Degrees — Saudi Arabia vs. Uruguay (June 15, 6 p.m., Miami Gardens)
84 Degrees — European Playoff B Winner vs. Tunisia (June 14, 8 p.m., Monterrey)
convenient schedule
The following teams will play their group stage matches back-to-back at the same venue, eliminating the need for mid-game travel.
— South Korea will play its first two games in Guadalajara
— Canada will play Games 2 and 3 in Vancouver, British Columbia
— Scotland will play first two games in Foxboro
— Paraguay will play games 2 and 3 in Santa Clara
— Tunisia will play its first two games in Monterrey
— Iran will play first two games in Inglewood
— New Zealand will play games 2 and 3 in Vancouver
— Spain will play its first two games in Atlanta
— Uruguay will play its first two games at Miami Gardens
— Senegal will play its first two games at East Rutherford
— Argentina will play games 2 and 3 in Arlington
— Jordan will play first two games in Santa Clara
— Portugal will play first two games in Houston
— Panama will play its first two games in Toronto
___
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
