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Football-FIFPRO considers longer halftimes and more cooling breaks in extreme heat

FIFPRO, the global players' union, is investigating whether increasing halftime from 20 minutes to 20 minutes or introducing more cooling breaks can better protect players against extreme heat.

Nine of the sixteen host cities of the 2026 World Cup are at "extreme" risk for heat-related illnesses.

Atlanta, Boston Dallas, Guadalajara Houston, Kansas City Miami Monterrey, Philadelphia, and other cities are likely to experience dangerously high temperatures and humidity. This could pose a threat to player safety and lead some to call for cooling aids and schedule changes.

FIFPRO's assessments of heat risk are based upon wet bulb globe temperatures (WBGT), which is a measurement that combines temperature, humidity and solar radiation with wind speed in order to estimate the environmental conditions that affect a person's body's ability for cooling itself.

According to FIFPRO guidelines a WBGT above 28 degrees Celsius indicates that matches should be postponed, or rescheduled in order to protect the health of players.

FIFA's guidelines, which set the extreme-risk threshold at 32 degrees Celsius, are higher. However, even with this standard, six out of nine cities will still exceed the safe limit.

Major League Soccer has a threshold temperature of 29 degrees Celsius.

Vincent Gouttebarge is the Medical Director of FIFPRO. He said, "Cooling Breaks at 30th Minute and 75th Minute are very traditional but it doesn't make any sense from a physiologic point of view."

Even if you consume more than 200 ml of fluid you cannot drink it all. I'd like to see a project that looks at the effectiveness of more frequent, but shorter, cooling breaks. Every 15 minutes rather than one every half.

LONGER HALFTIMES

Gouttebarge questioned if the 15-minute interval at halftime is enough when matches are played under extreme heat.

He said that a 15-minute halftime might not be sufficient to lower the core temperature.

It could be 20 minutes of halftime, which would be important. This has been proven in the lab and FIFPRO will test it in Portugal with the national union on August.

This month's Club World Cup made it clear that there is a need for stronger heat protocols. Two matches, Benfica-Bayern Munich and Chelsea-Esperance both exceeded the WBGT threshold FIFPRO deems unsafe.

Gouttebarge stated that "according to our opinion, these games should have either been postponed or rescheduled later in the day."

FIFPRO officials acknowledge that FIFA responded in a constructive manner during the tournament, lowering the thresholds for cooling breaks that are mandatory and improving pitch side hydration. However, they stress that proactive planning is essential.

Alex Phillips is the FIFPRO General Secratary. He said that FIFA was very responsive to their needs once the tournament started.

The team has adapted their approach to heat during matches in response to FIFPRO's advice, and this is a credit to them. It would have been best if this had happened in advance. However, they are better off for having adapted.

FIFPRO has warned that the risks highlighted during the Club World Cup could be a preview for what players may face at the expanded World Cup in 2026.

Alexander Bielefeld is the Director of FIFPRO's Policy & Strategic Relationships.

He added, "We need to find a better balance between the commercial interests of football clubs and their players' health and safety." This was in reference to earlier kickoff times for European television audiences. (Reporting and editing by Ken Ferris; Reporting by Julien Pretot)

(source: Reuters)