Weather causing increasing concern at Club World Cup
Weather concerns continue to shape the Fifa Club World Cup after a fourth game was delayed because of thunderstorms - while a heatwave is expected next week.The second half of Benfica's Group C game against Auckland City kicked off over two hours late because of heavy rain and storms in Orlando.The kick-off for Mamelodi Sundowns against Ulsan HD in the same city had been delayed for over an hour.And there were long pauses in the second halves of Palmeiras v Al-Ahly in New Jersey (40 minutes) and Salzburg v Pachuca in Cincinnati (90 minutes).Campaign group Fossil Free Football say 10 matches are due to be played in the next week with either a major or extreme heat risk, as temperatures could reach 41C.This comes just a year out from the World Cup which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.A statement from the world governing body read: "Fifa will continue to monitor the weather conditions in coordination with the venue teams to ensure a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone involved."
'The dangers facing players'
Fossil Free Football say: "Particular concern is for the fixtures in the no-shade stadium in Charlotte where a heat index of 38C (Real Madrid v Pachuca) and 41C (Benfica v Bayern) is forecast for the next two matches."This underlines the dangers facing players and fans at this tournament and in 2026. Fifa have done very little to allay safety concerns."The game between New Zealand part-timers Auckland City and Boca Juniors is also due to take place in 41C in Nashville at a ground with limited cover.Matches in Philadelphia, New York, Cincinnati and Washington DC will also be played in the anticipated heatwave.After Atletico's 4-0 defeat by Paris St-Germain in 32C in Pasadena, Marcos Llorente said it was "terribly hot" and added "my toes were sore, my nails were hurting... it's incredible".Fans spoke of having to leave that game because of the heat - and complained about long queues and restrictions of water when arriving at the stadium.A Fifa statement read: "Fifa's top priority is the health of everyone involved in football, and Fifa's medical experts have been in regular contact with the clubs participating to address heat management and acclimatisation."The governing body added there will continue to be cooling breaks in the 30th and 75th minute where needed - and that fans are allowed to bring empty clear bottles of up to one litre into stadiums.Chelsea, who are one of two English teams competing along with Manchester City, beat Los Angeles FC in their opener but then lost 3-1 to Flamengo on Friday."It's not easy because of the temperature," said boss Enzo Maresca. "We're going to try to rotate players."
When it rains, it pours
As well as the danger posed by the heat to players, staff and supporters, from a scheduling point of view there will be concerns about the delays to games.Four of the first 21 games faced waits ranging from 40 minutes to two-and-a-half hours for thunder and lightning storms and heavy rain.Broadcasters will not be happy with the potential for overlapping matches at the 2026 World Cup.Benfica v Auckland City was due to conclude an hour before Chelsea's match against Flamengo started - but ended up finishing well after the final whistle had been blown in the Blues defeat.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
UK heatwave this weekend set to see temperatures soar to 34C though with storms also ahead - as experts warn hundreds could die from 'killer' temperatures
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Their study, released on Saturday, forecasts that around 570 people will die because of the heat over the four days. The excess deaths are estimated to peak at 266 on Saturday when the heat will be at its most intense. London is predicted to have the greatest number of excess deaths with 129. The researchers said their assessment highlights how extreme heat poses a growing threat to public health in the UK. The weekend is here These are the weather details for Saturday ⬇️ — Met Office (@metoffice) June 20, 2025 It follows a World Weather Attribution (WWA) research group study published on Friday which found the heatwave has been made about 100 times more likely and 2-4C hotter due to climate change. Dr Garyfallos Konstantinoudis, lecturer at the Grantham Institute at Imperial College London, said: 'Heatwaves are silent killers - people who lose their lives in them typically have pre-existing health conditions and rarely have heat listed as a contributing cause of death. 'This real-time analysis reveals the hidden toll of heatwaves and we want it to help raise the alarm. 'Heatwaves are an underappreciated threat in the UK and they're becoming more dangerous with climate change.' A warning for thunder has been issued from the north Midlands to Northumberland, including north-east Wales, with downpours, hail, lightning and gusty winds predicted from 3pm today – the Summer Solstice – to the early hours of tomorrow. The Met Office warned of 'sudden flooding' which could see communities 'cut off', transport disruption and power cuts. The hot weather is poised to linger in the South and East through the weekend. An amber heat health alert – to warn healthcare providers – lasts until Monday. Elsewhere, temperatures are set to fall from tomorrow to the high teens or low 20s. Saturday is the summer solstice, the longest day of the year That means it will have the highest number of daylight hours in 2025 ☀️ — Met Office (@metoffice) June 20, 2025 Parts of the UK are today set to be hotter than Hawaii, forecast to reach 29C (84F), and Barbados, which should hit 32C (89F). The highest temperature of the year was Thursday's 32.2C (89.96F) at Kew Gardens, south-west London. Computer modelling by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine warns of up to 600 premature deaths during the hot period. Large crowds are expected to gather at Stonehenge for the annual summer solstice early on Saturday morning, with mild temperatures in the high teens expected for those observing the spectacle. Met Office spokeswoman Nicola Maxey said: 'There are scattered thunderstorms coming through. 'Some of the rain could be quite intense, and frequent lightning, hail, gusty winds and some heavy downpours, which we haven't seen for a while. 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BBC News
4 hours ago
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Will a South American team win the Club World Cup?
Flamengo boss Filipe Luis says a team from South America can win the Fifa Club World Cup after an impressive start to the tournament by clubs from Brazil and Botafogo defeated Champions League winners Paris St-Germain 1-0, fellow Brazilian side Flamengo came from behind to beat Uefa Conference League winners Chelsea are six teams from South America taking part in the new 32-team format - Palmeiras, Botafogo, Flamengo and Fluminense from Brazil, while Boca Juniors and River Plate are representing six are unbeaten after nine matches - with Palmeiras, Botafogo, Flamengo and River Plate topping their respective team from Brazil has won the Club World Cup since Corinthians beat Chelsea in the final of the 2012 edition. Since then all the winners have come from no team from Argentina has won the tournament since it was founded in 2000."First of all I'm surprised South American teams are unbeaten, because I know the quality of European football," said Flamengo boss Luis after masterminding a win over his former club Chelsea."Anybody can win. That's football. It wouldn't surprise me [if a South American team won it]." Played nine, won six, lost none Could the fact that it is mid-season in South America have anything to do with their good results so far?European teams went into the Club World Cup on the back of long top Group A with four points from two games, while Botafogo have won both their games in Group Juniors' only Group C game so far ended in a 2-2 draw with top Group D with six points from two games after wins over ES Tunis of Tunisia and River Plate's only game so far ended in a 2-0 win over Japan's Urawa Red Diamonds, while Fluminense held Borussia Dortmund to a 0-0 draw."I'm surprised at these results," added Luis."Sometimes the weather, they're not used to this, but the South American clubs are very competitive and not always the best win the Copa Libertadores. "There's different grass, altitudes, so we have a lot of adaptations and are used to that." 'I can compete with European players' Flamengo overturned a first-half deficit to defeat Chelsea 3-1, with second-half goals from Bruno Henrique, Danilo, and Wallace Yan securing their second win in the cause was helped by Nicolas Jackson's straight red card soon after the Chelsea substitute came of Flamengo fans, who have travelled to the United States to cheer on their side, celebrated wildly after the final whistle at Lincoln Financial Field."The players are waiting to show 'I can compete against European players'," former Flamengo midfielder Kleberson told team included former Chelsea midfielder Jorginho."We were really confident and we know in these big games the details make the difference," Jorginho told DAZN."Overall we were really good in the first half so we said at half-time, 'let's keep pushing'."We found the little spots that could hurt them." 'I made the right choice to stay in Brazil' Botafogo, the 2024 winners of the Copa Libertadores, pulled off the biggest surprise of the tournament so far with a 1-0 victory over European champions Paris St-Germain."One team was the champion of the Champions League, the other team was the champion of South America," said goalscorer Igor Jesus, who had been strongly linked with a move to Nottingham Forest earlier this year before opting to stay with the Brazilians to play in the Club World Cup."I think I made the right choice to stay in Botafogo," he added. Botafogo defended superbly to keep out Luis Enrique's side."This PSG side is a lesson to everybody in football and I told my guys to just be a team, enjoy, play together, attack together, defend together," added Botafogo boss Renato Paiva."We showed the quality of Brazilian players and the coaches."This is a victory of all the coaches that are working in Brazil, working with great players and Brazil will always be in world football."
Daily Mail
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Stressed Bill Belichick seen drenched in sweat with Jordon Hudson after rushing through airport to catch flight
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