Club World Cup serves as 2026 dry run amid heat and pitch concerns
NEW YORK - The inaugural 32-team Club World Cup wrapped up on Sunday with plenty of lessons learned for organisers FIFA, with the tournament in the United States, won by Chelsea, acting as a preview of the 2026 World Cup.
A record 48 teams will descend on co-hosts United States, Canada and Mexico next year for the quadrennial spectacle, with 104 matches on the schedule, up from just 64 the last time the tournament was held in 2022 in Qatar.
In anticipation, FIFA expanded the Club World Cup this year to more than four times its original size with 32 teams, in a format that mimicked what fans can expect next year.
"It's a dry run for FIFA," said Alan Rothenberg, the former president of U.S. Soccer who was responsible for overseeing the World Cup the last time it was held in the U.S., in 1994.
"There were some mistakes early on and some issues early on but presumably they have now learned their lesson on how to stage a tournament in multiple cities in this vast country of ours. So I think it's going to make it a lot smoother from here on out for '26 because they now have experience."
Organisers faced criticism from players, fans and coaches for a range of issues from pitch conditions to scheduling to heat, with some games played to packed stands and others to sparse crowds baking in temperatures of 85 degrees Fahrenheit (29°C) and higher.
Global players' union FIFPRO said the heat, in particular, should "serve as a wake-up call", with organisers pressured to schedule matches earlier in the day to accommodate the extraordinary scale of the tournament.
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Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez described the temperatures as "very dangerous" to play in.
"Every criticism that we receive is a source for us to study, to analyse, to see what we can do better," FIFA President Gianni Infantino told reporters ahead of the final.
"Of course, the heat is definitely an issue. It's an issue all over the world."
Infantino said that the tournament in 2026 would use stadiums with roofs and climate control to accommodate more of the daytime games. Of the 16 World Cup stadiums, Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Vancouver have roofs.
"We need to look at what we can do better. We introduced cooling breaks. It's obviously very important we water the pitch. We can see how we can do things better in America as well as in Canada for next year, in Vancouver," said Infantino.
FIFA is taking greater operational control over the 2026 tournament compared to previous editions, said Rothenberg, who is now chairman of Premier Partnerships, a division of Playfly Sports.
"I don't think they did (Club World Cup) as an experiment but it turns out to be a great experience for FIFA going forward," said Rothenberg, whose forthcoming book "The Big Bounce" explores soccer's popularity in the U.S.
'HISTORIC EVENT'
Global soccer's governing body has put boots on the ground in the U.S. in preparation for the World Cup, setting up field offices in Miami and at New York's Trump Tower.
U.S. President Donald Trump was on hand to deliver the trophy at MetLife Stadium on Sunday to Chelsea, after the Premier League side thrashed Paris St Germain 3-0 in front of an enthusiastic crowd.
From January until the end of next year's tournament, FIFA will maintain a 485,000 square-foot broadcast centre in Dallas.
A smaller version was used in the parking lot at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for the Club World Cup.
"This is not a test run - we're going to have a lot of learnings from '25 but this is a historic event for us," Oscar Sanchez, head of host broadcast production, told reporters.
"It's massive - but 2026 is humongous."
MetLife Stadium, which hosted Sunday's final, is set to host the 2026 World Cup's showpiece, with ongoing research to optimise pitch conditions in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Despite efforts, including transporting Bermuda grass overnight in refrigerated trucks, Club World Cup venues received criticism from coaches and players for pitch quality.
"We'll report post this tournament and take lessons forward to 2026," said Blair Christensen, pitch venue manager.
"These guys here that work on the pitch with me they are far sharper and better than they were 35 days ago and we'll take that forward to next year as well." REUTERS
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