At the Club World Cup, the scheduling of matches during times of extreme heat is causing controversy.

The Club World Cup, which runs until July 13 in the United States, seems to be an inexhaustible source of controversy. After criticism of the competition's new format—expanded for the first time to 32 teams, adding to an already overcrowded schedule —and the tournament's commercial dimension—with a total prize fund of nearly $1 billion (€865 million) —now the match scheduling times are the focus of criticism.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) made their first match against Atlético de Madrid ( a 4-0 victory for Luis Enrique's men ) on Sunday, June 15 at noon local time in Pasadena, near Los Angeles (California)... in the sweltering heat, with temperatures approaching 40°C in the sun. " It's impossible [to play], complained Colchoneros midfielder Marcos Llorente after the match. No one in Europe is used to playing in this heat. My toes were hurting, I couldn't accelerate anymore."

PSG's coach agreed. Speaking to broadcaster DAZN, Luis Enrique lamented the conditions in which the match took place, saying it was impossible to maintain a "very high level" on the pitch for 90 minutes.

The International Football Federation (FIFA) has yet to officially respond to this emerging controversy. But the fact that PSG and Atlético were scheduled to play at noon in California is no coincidence: the timing was explained by the desire to broadcast the match in prime time in Europe – kickoff was 9 p.m. in Paris and Madrid. In France, the match was broadcast on TF1, in addition to the DAZN platform.

The subject is expected to come up again in discussions in the coming days, where several matches are expected to put the bodies to the test, starting with the duel between Real Madrid and the Saudi club Al-Hilal, scheduled for Wednesday, June 18, at 3 p.m., in Miami (Florida), with a thermometer expected to exceed 30°C in the shade...

This situation is also likely to recur during the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The tournament will take place from June 11 to July 19, a period when heat can reach peaks in North America, a phenomenon exacerbated by climate change.

Footballers will be exposed to a "very high risk of extreme heat stress" in ten of the sixteen stadiums that will host the events, warned a study published in November 2024 in the journal Scientific Reports . At the most health-threatening venues—Arlington and Houston in Texas, and Monterrey in Mexico—players will have to endure temperatures felt to be nearly 50°C, conditions that are potentially hazardous to their health. Experts therefore recommend holding matches during the cooler hours of the day. FIFA certainly did not follow this advice for this Club World Cup.