The World Cup continues to serve up stories that are unlike those we have seen for previous tournaments.
Now the tournament is underway, will these stories go away? Some commentators were saying this would probably be the case and that the football would do the talking....
The World Cup kits look fairly bland in most cases. Get some maps and mountains on them! Some of the countries could have been so much bolder in their design, although when Haiti did, their kit design originally submitted was not allowed for being too political.
The jersey, by Colombian sportswear manufacturer Saeta, originally included a depiction of the final battle of the Haitian War of Independence in 1803 on its front. The image was rejected during FIFA’s approval process.Saeta said in a statement Wednesday that it would comply with the ban even though the design “was not intended as a political statement,” but rather as a “tribute to the men and women who contribute every day to Haiti’s future.”
The LA Times is not alone in warning of the impacts of heat.
Some climatologists are worried about a weather-related tragedy occurring during the World Cup.
A few hours after Lionel Messi and the Argentine World Cup team checked into their training base in Kansas City, a series of thunderstorms pounded the area, knocking out power, felling trees and bringing flood and tornado warnings.
FIFA defended the scheduling of the tournament - in July... saying in a statement that climate-related risks are assessed as part of overall tournament planning and managed in close coordination with the host cities, stadium authorities and national agencies.
“Building on experience from recent tournaments, a tiered heat-mitigation model will apply,” the statement continued. “When forecasts indicate elevated temperatures, venues will activate additional cooling capacity, including shaded areas, misting systems, cooling buses and expanded water distribution. Work-rest cycles for staff and volunteers are adapted accordingly, and first-aid readiness is reinforced with clear triage and escalation pathways for suspected heat illness. These measures scale dynamically based on real-time conditions before and during each event.”
Football for Future has compiled a report called Pitches in Peril.
This can be downloaded from their website. It is a visually impressive and very detailed report.
Football is already on the frontline of the climate crisis. From flooded stadiums in Texas and Florida to unsafe heat in Mexico City, extreme weather is putting the future of the game at risk. Grassroots pitches where every legend took their first steps are even more vulnerable, especially in the Global South where resources for adaptation are scarce.
Key findings show:
- 14 of 16 World Cup 2026 stadiums already exceed safe-play thresholds for major climate hazards, with nearly 90% projected to face unplayable heat by 2050.
- Two-thirds of grassroots pitches where icons like Messi and Salah grew up will face unsafe or unplayable heat conditions by mid-century.
- By 2050, Troost-Ekong’s childhood pitch in Nigeria will endure nearly five months of unplayable heat annually.
- Tim Cahill’s pitch in Sydney faces flood depths up to 7 metres during extreme events.
Professional players are joining the call. From World Cup winners to grassroots heroes, a landmark group of male footballers have spoken out for the first time, echoing the leadership already shown by nearly 50 women players during the 2023 Women’s World Cup.
More to come as the tournament progresses... and if you use BlueSky, follow Professor David Storey.
He has written widely about sport and football... including this piece. He has talked about the diaspora that has provided many teams with their players. e.g. Curaçao's connection with the Netherlands...
And balancing the woes with the performance of Vozinha...
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