Juventus head coach Igor Tudor revealed that ten players requested to be substituted during their Club World Cup last-16 defeat to Real Madrid, due to the overwhelming heat and humidity in Miami.
The match, which was played at the Hard Rock Stadium, took place under extreme conditions, with temperatures soaring to 30 degrees and humidity levels hitting 70%.
Though teams are allowed a maximum of five substitutions in regular time – and six if the match goes to extra time – Tudor could only make the permitted five.
“In the end, 10 players asked to be substituted,” Tudor said after the 1-0 loss.
“The exhaustion was incredible. There’s the tension of this match, which burns your energy. Then there’s this heat, which really gets to you, and the third thing that completes the conditions is playing in this humidity.”
The extreme weather has been a constant theme throughout this summer’s Club World Cup in the U.S., with multiple teams and coaches struggling to cope.
Borussia Dortmund manager Niko Kovac said sweltering conditions during their group-stage victory over Mamelodi Sundowns in Cincinnati: “I was sweating like I’ve just come out of a sauna.”
Elsewhere, Benfica’s clash with Bayern Munich in Charlotte saw the mercury hit 36 degrees, while Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca described training in Philadelphia as “impossible” under a “code red” heat warning.
Currently, FIFA mandates “cooling breaks” based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature – a combined measure of heat and humidity.
Under the existing regulations, mandatory breaks are triggered when the WBGT surpasses 32 degrees. So far, cooling breaks have been enforced in 33 out of 56 matches during the tournament.
However, global players’ union FIFPRO has argued that such breaks should begin once the WBGT hits 28 degrees, and that matches should be delayed entirely if readings exceed 32 degrees – a lower threshold than FIFA’s current guideline.
With the United States set to host the 2026 World Cup, questions about player safety in extreme heat are gaining a lot of urgency.
Reports say that scheduling key matches, including the final, as early as 9am local time should be considered if similar weather patterns persist.
