This year’s sweltering World Cup venues are hotter than Qatar’s matches
Heat featured prominently in the 2022 games held in Qatar, but conditions are even hotter in the U.S. and Mexico four years later
Visitors and players alike are sweating through bright sunshine, intense storms, and searing temperatures as World Cup games unfold across North America.
Many of the games in the United States and Mexico are enduring temperatures hotter and muggier than those experienced during the last World Cup in Qatar.
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Dozens of countries compete in the World Cup every four years. The previous games, held in Qatar, were pushed to the autumn months to avoid the region’s dangerous summertime heat.
Even though the 2022 games moved to November and December, the region’s intense late-year heat still captured the headlines.
The hottest stretch during that series of matches saw a high of 32°C each day between Nov. 26 and Nov. 28, with a maximum humidex reaching 38.
Things are even hotter four years later.
Matches held in Miami, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, and Mexico’s Monterrey all experienced air temperatures and feels-like values hotter than those measured in Qatar.
Miami saw a temperature of 34°C with a humidex value of 43 when Saudi Arabia played Uruguay on June 15.
England faced off against Croatia in Dallas on June 17 amid a temperature of 33°C and a balmy humidex value of 42.
The hottest games are still to come.
Miami’s dangerous humidity is set to send the humidex soaring as high as 45 on June 21, while Dallas could take the cake for actual air temperature on June 22 with a reading of 37°C.
This is prime-time for heat across much of the southern United States. In fact, the region is just pre-heating right now. Dallas’ average daily temperature rises to 35°C in July and 36°C in August before gradually cooling off as autumn approaches.