Why 2026 World Cup Matches in Mexico Could Be Played at a Slower Pace
A fascinating explanation has emerged for why some matches at the 2026 FIFA World Cup could appear slower than others, and it has little to do with the heat.
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Mexico is set to host matches in Guadalajara, Monterrey and the capital city, Mexico City, home to the iconic Estadio Azteca. While temperatures are expected to be high during the tournament, experts believe another environmental factor could have an even greater impact on how games are played.
Recent scenes from England's 1-0 friendly win over New Zealand in the sweltering conditions of Tampa, Florida, highlighted the challenges players may face in North America. However, Mexico's combination of heat, humidity and altitude is expected to create an even more demanding environment.
Of the 104 matches scheduled for the expanded 48-team World Cup, 13 will be played in Mexico, with the remaining fixtures taking place across the United States and Canada.
Mexico will host the opening match of the tournament on June 11 when El Tri face South Africa in a repeat of the opening fixture from the 2010 World Cup.
Altitude Could Change the Pace of Games
According to football content creator Tiannah Pedler, one of the biggest factors affecting matches in Mexico could be altitude.
Mexico City sits approximately 2,240 metres above sea level, while Guadalajara is also located at a significant elevation comparable to some ski resort regions in Europe.
Playing at altitude places greater demands on the body because the air contains less oxygen.
Francois Billaut, a professor at Université Laval in Quebec and a researcher with two decades of experience studying athletic performance, explained the issue to The Athletic.
He noted that barometric pressure decreases at higher elevations and that "oxygen diminution becomes a major issue for endurance" because muscles receive less oxygen during exercise.
As a result, players often fatigue more quickly and require longer recovery periods.
This could particularly affect teams that rely on intense pressing and constant high-energy movement throughout matches.
The challenges of altitude are already well known in international football.
In 2023, Lionel Messi and his Argentina teammates used oxygen tubes while preparing for a match against Bolivia at the Estadio Hernando Siles, which sits 3,637 metres above sea level.
The conditions in La Paz have previously been described as "inhumane" by Neymar, and FIFA once banned the stadium from hosting World Cup qualifiers because of concerns about the extreme altitude.
Extreme Heat Also Expected to Impact Tournament
Players competing in Mexico will have time to prepare and acclimatise to the conditions, but altitude is not the only challenge they will face.
The thinner air also affects how the ball behaves.
Long passes, shots from distance and set-pieces can travel faster and farther than normal, altering trajectories and creating additional difficulties for goalkeepers.
Meanwhile, climate experts have warned that weather conditions across all three host nations could become one of the defining talking points of the tournament.
The United Nations Climate Change body has already published information outlining the potential impact of extreme temperatures during the competition.
Cooling breaks and hydration pauses are expected to feature heavily throughout the World Cup.
Research from World Weather Attribution found that 26 of the 104 matches could be played in conditions where experts advising FIFPRO, the global players' union, believe hazardous heat poses a genuine risk.
Even traditionally cooler host cities such as Toronto and Vancouver are vulnerable to heatwaves.
The findings also suggested that nearly half of all World Cup matches have at least a 50 percent chance of being played in temperatures capable of impairing athletic performance.
A separate study examining 57 matches and 1,070 player observations from the Club World Cup found that athletes were exposed to extreme heat illness risks in 31 of those games.
With altitude in Mexico and rising temperatures across North America, the physical demands of the 2026 World Cup could become one of the biggest challenges players face throughout the tournament.
Source: YEN.com.gh
