Europeans — and perhaps particularly, Brits — have “had a go” at Americans on social media over our reliance on ice water and A/C during the summer. Now, we’re watching them learn in real-time how intense the US heat can be at the World Cup.
“We owe Americans an apology,” a UK creator posted after landing in Texas for the games. “The air is thick like soup and and even in the middle of the night it’s 29 degrees [84 degrees Fahrenheit]. Right now it’s 35 [95 degrees Fahrenheit] and you can barely breathe the air. Thank God Americans actually have A/C.”
And that’s just people who are here to sit and watch the game. How will athletes playing in the heat handle it?
Photos of Norwegian players in North Carolina laying down for respite, absolutely drenched in sweat, have been going viral. “Nothing makes me feel more patriotic than watching these European World Cup teams struggle to adapt to the American heat,” Barstool’s Jack Mac quipped.
“The England World Cup team have just arrived in America and they can’t handle the heat. Neither can the fans,” said a creator who goes by Josh from England, a Brit who now lives in the US. “This is pre-heat in America. This isn’t even the hottest.”
Though it’s true that visitors from countries like Scotland, Germany, England and Norway are biologically accustomed to cooler temps, most of what will dictate their success in the US heat is behavioral, experts say. That means athletes can adjust with the right habits.
But it won’t be easy. Speaking to The Post, experts have broken down what teams need to do in order to compete — and what visitors should know about staying safe in the stands.
Visitors are adjusting to America’s baseline
Americans are simply built different. According to Douglas Casa, PhD, a professor of kinesiology and director of athletic training education at University of Connecticut, we’ve adapted to the heat after a lifetime of practicing coping strategies.
Visitors who live in cooler climates will need to acclimate to keep up, which takes at least two weeks, according to Jennifer Vanos, PhD, an associate professor of sustainability at Arizona State University whose research examines how extreme heat affects humans.
“I think this is the World Cup that’s going to be most influenced by the sports scientists that any World Cup in history … it has a chance of being the hottest World Cup in history.”
Douglas Casa, PhD
When acclimatized, “you can cover more distance, you run faster, you’ll have more sprints, and your cognitive functioning is much better, which means you think faster,” Casa said. “You make fewer mistakes mentally, but you also make fewer mistakes physically, like in terms of accuracy of your passes.”
What this looks like in the body is breaking a sweat faster, lower body temperature at rest, improved blood flow, and an overall efficiency with energy. Athletes who can achieve this will have the upper hand.
Fortunately, Casa isn’t worried that players are at risk for any real health issues. While heat stroke’s a possibility, it’s uncommon among elite athletes with top medical care and prep.
The most dramatic effect could be a 10% decrease in performance. “That’s a huge difference at this level,” he said. “These factors can … dictate the outcome of many games.”
The lengths players are going to acclimate
The best teams have several experts tracking, advising and training athletes to make sure they can perform on US soil. Take England, for instance — according to The Telegraph, they started “thermal challenge work” a year ago, using red light saunas and oxygen chambers to adjust to the heat.
Teams also arrived in the US weeks before the matches began to get used to the conditions.
“The top teams have PhD-level sports scientists that spent the last month … using heat acclimatization and body cooling strategies, being very proactive with hydration, monitoring sleep, and [other strategies] that allow you to have better exercise heat tolerance,” Casa said.
Acclimatization is no joke. It requires players to work out — hard — in the heat for extended periods, forcing the bodies to get used to it.
“Your body temp has to be over 102 for over an hour … before you start getting the physiological changes, and you have to do that like seven to 10 days in a row,” Casa explained.
On top of that, they may sit in saunas after their workouts to add even more time sweating.
During all this, experts learn about the players’ sweat rates, so they can calculate how much they need to drink. Good hydration and cooling habits that come second nature to athletes in warmer climates need to be hammered into visitors during practice.
Will some teams have an advantage in the heat?
Money talks. Casa estimates that the wealthiest 15 teams “have a huge advantage” thanks to a roster of athletic trainers, team physicians, strength and conditioning coaches, sports scientists, and data scientists — whereas teams with less funding might have one medical professional.
“It’ll play a huge role in these games,” Vanos agrees.
“I think this is the World Cup that’s going to be most influenced by the sports scientists that any World Cup in history, because I think it has a chance of being the hottest World Cup in history,” Casa said. “It’s going to be about the physiological and medical side of it, of how you get the most out of the players in these hot conditions.”
The US has some of the best sports scientists and have experience playing in extreme heat, he added.
It also matters where the teams are playing, with the US hosting games in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Seattle and the Bay Area.
The hardest place for visiting athletes is likely to be Miami, Vanos said, noting that Dallas, Houston and Atlanta have domed stadiums with A/C. One particular matchup that is sure to put this to the test? Scotland (used to a cooler climate) facing off against Brazil (accustomed to a hotter one) in Miami on Wednesday, June 24.
Staying cool from the stands
If you’re heading to a match, Casa says to follow a few tips to avoid overheating:
- Stay hydrated. Take advantage of the 20-ounce water bottle allowance and refill it at the stadium.
- Bring a wide-brimmed hat to keep the sun off your face.
- Bring a cooling towel to soak in cold water in the bathroom to lay on your head and neck.
- Stay in the shade whenever possible, especially before the game and at halftime.
“Remember, it’s not just being at the game,” he said. Think about staying cool while in transit, walking from parking to the stadium, and the return trip. “All of that could be in 95 degree temperature. Yeah, you could have five or six hours out in the heat, that could affect anyone, not just people coming from other places.”
