There is one major threat hanging over this year’s World Cup

LOS ANGELES (AP) — As global temperatures rise, extreme heat could threaten athletes, fans, workers and officials at this year’s World Cup matches.

Sixteen cities in the United States, Mexico and Canada will host the 2026 World Cup in June and July. On average, July is the warmest month of the year for the contiguous US. according to to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and it has only gotten warmer since records were started in 1895.

Wet bulb temperatures, which take into account humidity, wind speed, sun angle and more, could top 32 degrees Celsius in the afternoon in the Texas cities of Dallas, Houston and Monterrey, Mexico. research shows.

“Almost all host venues, 14 out of 16, are experiencing levels of extreme heat, which could be potentially dangerous to players, match officials and possibly spectators,” said Donal Mullan, senior lecturer at Queen’s University Belfast, who led a paper last year examining the heat risks of this year’s host cities. Some stadiums have the advantage of being completely covered, which reduces the risks.

Heat exposure, amplified during exercise, can lead to nausea, dehydration, headaches, stroke and, in extreme cases, death. Concerns by some that millions of people could be exposed during the tournament were amplified in March, when record temperatures hit affected large parts of the US

And with global temperatures rising due to pollution from burning oil, gas and coal, scientists have warned that organizing football tournaments in summer is becoming more dangerous.

The 2022 World Cup tournament in Qatar was moved from summer to winter due to the threat of extreme heat. The one from last year Club World Cup experienced a heat wave that caused temperatures to soar into the 90s F (32s C) and higher in many areas.

Football follows the event playersworldwide union warned that extreme heat was likely to be an even bigger problem at the next two men’s World Cups. The 2030 World Cup is co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

This year, host cities, stadiums and FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, are working to protect players and spectators by conducting heat risk assessments, improving shade, cooling zones and access to water, stationing medical teams during events and more.

Some plans are still being finalized, but here’s a look at what you can expect at stadiums and outdoor events:

Players will be given a three-minute hydration break halfway through each half, regardless of weather conditions, FIFA said. Other welfare plans include allowing teams of up to five substitutes, a minimum of three rest days between matches, and staff and substitutes will have access to air-conditioned benches at outdoor matches. The competition schedule takes into account the climatic conditions.

“Outdoor matches during the hottest parts of the day have been strategically limited, kick-off times have been adjusted in certain markets and matches expected in warmer periods have been prioritized in indoor stadiums where possible,” FIFA said.

The federation has also established a Task Force on the Mitigation and Control of Heat Diseases, composed of medical and operational experts. Ahead of the Games, they are finalizing heat risk warning systems, coordinating the stadium’s medical action plans and other standardized guidelines.

Officials will monitor weather conditions and be prepared to activate extreme heat plans if they determine temperatures are too high. If activated, the plans include sending public safety messages on how to protect yourself from heat and how to recognize signs of heat exhaustion and stroke.

For example, if Canada’s federal agency Environment and Climate Change Canada issues an official heat warning, the City of Vancouver will install more temporary outdoor drinking fountains, hand-washing and misting stations to complement the multilingual heat awareness campaign.

Volunteers will also provide heat safety information to visitors and workers along the main tournament and festival routes.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health said it will distribute information about heat safety and proper hydration leading up to and during the games. It will also launch a heat dashboard for the public with near-real-time data on heat-related emergency room visits in the province.

New York City will be prepared to send notifications in 14 different languages ​​to its 1.5 million public alert subscribers, as well as to international visitors on the Everbridge app and WhatsApp channels.

Educational campaigns are useful for promoting hydration, use of shade and more, but research shows that passively spreading information doesn’t always have the intended effect, says William Adams, an assistant professor of kinesiology at Michigan State University who studies heat stress in athletes. It requires a more active approach, but that is not really feasible at large events like these, he says.

Medical staff will also be stationed and available at FIFA Fan Festivals and around various stadiums during matches to manage heat-related illnesses, including at Toronto Stadium in Canada and Dallas Stadium in Texas.

At the outdoor events in Dallas, all medical professionals will have access to ice and ice dipping bags, and the city’s festival grounds – where people can watch live matches – will also have two medical stations in climate-controlled locations.

Cities and stadiums will increase access to shade, cooling areas and water for spectators and employees.

In addition to being prepared to implement its heat and smoke abatement plans if necessary, Washington State’s Seattle Office of Emergency Management is also exploring the use of air-conditioned buses, tents and water misters at fan fests and games.

In Vancouver, there will be shaded seating areas at all the different tournament events and venues in the city.

Volunteers and workers at remote events in Dallas will require rest and hydration breaks. And officials will work with volunteer organizations to distribute water.

These combined efforts hope to reduce the number of heat-related illnesses and help reduce pressure on local hospitals during the tournament.

Some stadiums are covered, such as Canada’s BC Place Vancouver stadium, which will host seven games. It is “one of only four 2026 World Cup stadiums that are fully covered, so players and fans are not exposed to weather conditions while inside the stadium,” the city of Vancouver said in a statement.

The Dallas location is air-conditioned and also enclosed, “so we don’t anticipate any weather-related issues inside,” said Tim Ciesco of the Arlington Police Department.

In Santa Clara, California, all games are played in the evening, when weather conditions are cooler.

Elliot Arthur-Worsop, founder and director of Football for Future, a group focused on creating environmental sustainability in football, said the tournament organizers have a responsibility to keep people safe. “That is a social contract that exists between the fans and the governing bodies of football,” he said. In one climate report they published ahead of this year’s matches that heat and other climate risks will increase in most stadiums where matches are held by 2050.

“By the next time the World Cup comes back and is presented in this part of the world,” he said, “it will have to be structured and adapted differently.”

Associated Press writers Graham Dunbar and Seth Borenstein contributed to this report.