UN warns heat waves could pose risk as World Cup begins tomorrow

BONN: Severe heat waves could affect the 2026 World Cup, scheduled to be held in the United States, Mexico and Canada, as rising temperatures driven by climate change continue to intensify, the UN Climate Change Secretariat has warned.
This World Cup will feature a record 104 matches spread across 16 host cities. The global event will run from the opening match in Mexico on June 11 (Thursday) to the final on July 19, in New York.
Speaking at the start of the climate conference in Bonn, the secretariat said the tournament will take place under exceptional weather conditions that could impact both players and fans, inside stadiums and in surrounding areas and host cities.
Simon Stiell, Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, said rising temperatures are posing a growing challenge to sports and daily life, noting that the effects of climate change extend to many sectors, including food security and the economy.
The secretariat noted that some matches may be played in extremely hot conditions, requiring preventive measures to protect fans and mitigate heat‑related risks.
Meanwhile, Iran's football federation says its allocation of tickets for fans to attend the World Cup group fixtures has been withdrawn just days ahead of the start of the tournament. Following tensions during the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, Iran moved its squad training base from Tucson, Arizona, to Tijuana in Mexico, while the federation also said some members of backroom staff had been denied entry into the United States. The team, who have themselves been given strict visa conditions, are set to fly in and out of the United States for each of their three Group G games, against New Zealand and Belgium — both held in Los Angeles — and Egypt in Seattle.
Under Fifa guidelines, each participating federation receives 8 per cent of tickets for each of the games to be available for its own supporters. The Football Federation Islamic Republic Iran (FFIRI) said in a widely-reported statement that tickets sales to supporters for those fixtures were now no longer able to be fulfilled — throwing into doubt travel arrangements for fans who had been expected to watch the team. 'With less than three days remaining until the start of the 2026 World Cup... the United States has once again acted to obstruct the presence of Iranian supporters at the stadiums hosting the national team's three group stage matches,' the FFIRI said. — Agencies