Pitches in Peril: How Climate Change Is Threatening Football — From World Cup Stadiums to Grassroots Pitches
The 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup is set to become the most watched event in history — but it will unfold against the backdrop of an escalating climate crisis. Host stadiums across the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are already facing mounting threats: from dangerous heat in Miami and escalating drought in Mexico City to intensifying storms in Texas and Florida. Player health is increasingly at risk, and grassroots pitches, where every player takes their first steps, are even more vulnerable.
Football is already feeling the effects of the climate crisis — from extreme heat and flooding to declining player safety and disrupted grassroots access. Yet climate conversations too often remain within specialist circles.
Ahead of the FIFA World Cup 2026, hosted by Canada, USA, and Mexico, we are launching a groundbreaking new report, designed to break the echo chamber, bring climate risk into football’s mainstream, and kickstart a global conversation about the game’s future.
It aims to:
Translate climate science into football’s language — connecting data, lived experience, and football culture to engage players, fans, and decision-makers.
Equip leaders across the game — from clubs to governing bodies — with location-specific risk insights and practical pathways for adaptation.
Drive bold policy commitments — including climate-resilient infrastructure, climate adaptation funding, and credible routes to net zero.
Catalyse a movement — using football’s global platform to inspire structural change, not symbolic gestures, and to unite stakeholders from boardrooms to grassroots.
The analysis covers 16 stadiums hosting the 2026 Men’s World Cup, two future venues for the 2030 and 2034 editions, and 18 grassroots pitches linked to World Cup legends. Using climate modelling from Jupiter Intelligence, it assesses three key hazards: extreme heat, drought, and extreme weather/flooding — revealing both the universal and unequal nature of climate risk in football. Alongside the climate risk data, first-of-its-kind fan polling across North America and unprecedented player mobilisation reveal the depth of concern in the football community, and a clear appetite for action.
The report’s key findings include:
14 of 16 World Cup stadiums in 2025 already exceed safe-play thresholds for at least three major climate hazards — including extreme heat, unplayable rainfall, and flooding. Risks intensify at every venue by 2050.
By 2050, nearly 90% of stadiums (14 of 16) are projected to face extreme heat conditions — unsafe without adaptation — and 11 stadiums will experience unplayable heat, where matches cannot be safely staged.
Two-thirds of grassroots pitches where football legends like Messi, Salah, and Troost-Ekong grew up will face unsafe or unplayable heat conditions by 2050.
96% of Mexican, 90% of Canadian, and 87% of U.S. fans believe the World Cup should be a global role model for sustainability in sport.
This study makes one thing clear: football is under threat. Extreme heat, flooding, drought, and wildfire are already reducing pitch playability at both elite and grassroots levels. Fewer safe training days. Greater health risks. Declining youth participation. These are not future risks — they are unfolding now.
But football has an opportunity to lead. The 2026 World Cup offers a once-in-a-generation stage to elevate climate truth, spotlight resilience, and catalyse action. Governing bodies, clubs, and sponsors must now integrate adaptation into operations and respond to the shifting expectations of fans and players.
This could be the last World Cup of its kind in this region. Without significant adaptation, it is unlikely that future tournaments in North America will follow the same model as 2026 with traditional summer scheduling, current infrastructure standards, and minimal climate protocols. By the time the tournament returns to the U.S., Canada, or Mexico, climate risks may demand a very different approach to when, where, and how matches are played.
We are kicking off a World Cup climate conversation like never before. Click below to download the report, and stay tuned by following our social media and signing up to our newsletter to hear more about our campaign from now until the tournament.