Extreme heat, poor pitches & plenty of goals – Club World Cup reaches halfway stage

Ever since the tournament expansion was announced, there have been major concerns over the workload of the players, especially with the World Cup coming up in 12 months.

Since the main European seasons began in August, Real Madrid have now played 65 times, Inter Milan 62, Paris St-Germain 61 and both Chelsea and Manchester City 60 apiece, with four more games to come if they reach the final.

What has made it worse is the temperatures the matches are being held in. Temperatures reached 36C during the game between Bayern Munich and Benfica in Charlotte, North Carolina, while Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca said it was “impossible” to organise normal training sessions amid a “code red” severe heat warning in Philadelphia.

Cooling breaks have been used with players dashing to get some shade, often while wearing an ice-cold towel or throwing bottles of water over their heads in an attempt to cool down.

The threat of thunderstorms has caused lengthy delays to five matches because play in American stadiums has to be halted when lightning is recorded within a 10-mile radius.

With three venues in Mexico, as well as cities including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta and Miami hosting matches in the 2026 World Cup, weather delays could well be a feature of that tournament as well.