Which teams 'to suffer most' from World Cup heat? | OneFootball

Heat across the United States, Mexico and Canada could shape this World Cup, with France among the sides most exposed in the group stage, Bloomberg reports.

The study assessed the likely impact of a forecast heatwave across the 16 host cities. It projects Tunisia, France and Ghana as the most affected during the groups, with Tunisia around 28°C.

France are scheduled for three afternoon kick-offs, two at 15:00 and one at 17:00. Group I, featuring France, Iraq, Norway and Senegal, places all four inside the top 10 for heat exposure.

The top 10, in order, are Tunisia, France, Ghana, Ecuador, Iraq, Senegal, Panama, Ivory Coast, Norway and Brazil.

FIFA has mandated three-minute cooling breaks in each half, already used in warm-up games. Many experts consider them too short. Temperatures could also swing between fixtures, with the Netherlands potentially facing a difference of five degrees Celsius from one match to the next.

Kick-off times for some matches have been shifted to avoid peak heat, but not all will be spared. Some groups, including France’s, are set to play in the hottest windows, in venues without air conditioning, which is installed in 20% of stadiums.

Among the favourites, Spain appear best placed, with two first-round fixtures expected in air-conditioned arenas. At the other end of the scale, the least affected sides are projected to be Uzbekistan, DR Congo, Spain, Czechia and Mexico.

Source: L'Équipe