Heat has already played a major role in the lead-up to the 2026 World Cup – the world’s largest soccer event. Experts and athletes are asking for a cooler change.

While the exact time the final match will take place won’t be announced until December, some expect it could occur near primetime in the United States and Europe, and could be at a similar time as the Super Bowl at 6 p.m.

The problem: A 3 p.m. or 6 p.m. EDT match start on July 19, 2026, would be played at temperatures that could lead to heat illnesses for both the footballers and spectators.

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MetLife Stadium has no roof and is exposed to the heat and other elements.

Professor Mike Tipton, a leading specialist on the effects of extreme temperatures on the human body from Portsmouth University, argues that an early start could keep people safer.

July is the hottest month at MetLife Stadium near Teterboro Airport in New Jersey, just outside of New York City. Let’s take a look at what athletes could face and what has happened in the past, then see if they could get any relief.

Climatology, Recent History For MetLife Stadium

Our first clue into what to expect comes from history.

On average, the high temperature for July 19 is 87 degrees (30.6 degrees Celsius), and the low is 69 degrees (20.6 degrees Celsius). Roughly one-third of all years see highs reach or surpass 90 degrees (32 degrees Celsius).

At its worst, temperatures reached 100 degrees (37.8 degrees Celsius) once back in 2013. If you’re looking for a chill, go back to 1984 or 2000, when temperatures dipped to 59 degrees (15 degrees Celsius).

This year, though, temperatures reached 99 and 101 degrees on June 23 and 24, respectively. Numerous record highs were broken across the East.

So, how much warmer could a primetime game be versus a 9 a.m. game?

A morning game would likely take place in the 70s, but an afternoon game would be in the 80s. An unwelcome heat wave could start the World Cup final in the 90s.

Could Athletes Get A Break From The Heat?

Unlike football in the United States, soccer is regularly played without many breaks, but this is beginning to change due to the weather.

FIFA now mandates that breaks occur when a temperature and humidity metric reaches 89.6 degrees (32 degrees Celsius). The breaks usually occur around the 30th and 75th minutes.

The metric is called the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) and is like the heat index, but incorporates what athletes feel, whether they’re in the shade or on the pitch. Temperature, humidity, wind speed and sunlight are all taken into account.

A temperature of 95 degrees might not feel extreme, especially for those of us in the warmer climates, but a WBGT of 95 degrees is considered unsurvivable for more than a few hours. Keep in mind, footballers are some of the most athletic people in the world.

These breaks have become more common since the 2014 World Cup in Brazil following a court order.

Extra breaks and altered match schedules were recently implemented in games in Romania, where extreme heat was a concern.

The footballers' players union, called FIFPRO, is calling for the benchmark for adding additional cooling breaks to be lowered to a WBGT of 82.4 degrees (28 degrees Celsius). If the WBGT reaches the current threshold of 32 degrees Celsius, then the match should be rescheduled, according to the union.

Heat Isn't The Only Weather Concern

Lightning and thunderstorms could also be a big concern for afternoon or evening games in New York City or anywhere in the U.S.

By midsummer, thunderstorms can be expected on several afternoons each week. Play is halted if lightning is detected within a 10-mile radius.

Enzo Maresca, the owner of the Chelsea Football Club, recently called out FIFA for a two-hour lightning delay in Charlotte, North Carolina, that caused one of their games to extend to five hours.

These delays are put in place for the safety of the fans and the footballers.

Several of the 2025 Club World Cup's matches, of which the U.S. is the host site, have been delayed by thunderstorms.

If “they are already suspending six, seven eight games, probably there is something that is not working well,” Maresca said, according to an AP report, adding that the U.S. “is not the right place to do this competition.”

Several other contests have been delayed by rain.

Weather isn’t just a concern in the U.S. At Mexico's venues for the 2026 World Cup, Mexico City and Guadalajara could be impacted by the summer’s hurricane season, and in Monterrey, summer temperatures average in the 90s.

Variable temperatures can also cause issues with playing fields. Teams recently criticized the dry grass at MetLife Stadium after the recent heat wave.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Jonathan Belles has been a digital meteorologist for weather.com for 9 years and also assists in the production of videos for The Weather Channel en español. His favorite weather is tropical weather, but also enjoys covering high-impact weather and news stories and winter storms. He's a two-time graduate of Florida State University and a proud graduate of St. Petersburg College.