A coalition of 20 world-leading scientists has issued an urgent warning to FIFA, declaring that current heat safety protocols for the 2026 World Cup are dangerously inadequate. The experts, specializing in health, climate and sports performance, argue that existing guidelines fail to protect players from serious heat-related illness during matches across the US, Canada and Mexico.

The scientists are calling for immediate reforms, including mandatory six-minute cooling breaks instead of the current three-minute intervals, and automatic match postponements when Wet Bulb Globe Temperature readings exceed 28C. They criticize FIFA's approach as potentially reckless, citing research that shows approximately 25% of matches could face extreme heat stress conditions.

Climate analysis reveals the 2026 tournament faces nearly double the extreme heat risk compared to the 1994 World Cup, with average temperatures in host cities reaching the low to mid-30Cs and potentially climbing toward 40C. The World Weather Attribution study indicates around five matches could exceed the 28C WBGT threshold considered unsafe for play.

FIFA maintains it will deploy a tiered mitigation model with real-time meteorological monitoring and climate-adapted scheduling. However, the governing body declined to directly address the scientists' specific concerns, stating only that player welfare remains paramount in tournament planning.