Audio By Carbonatix
Borussia Dortmund was unable to withstand the heat at its Club World Cup match in… Cincinnati. The club’s cowardice raises an interesting question about next summer’s World Cup.
Will the European teams be able to handle the “extreme” temperatures of North America?
Dortmund is a German soccer team based out of North Rhine-Westphalia on the easternmost border of Belgium and the Netherlands. I am not joking when I say the region is currently under an official “warning” because of a heatwave. Temperatures are expected to exceed… 83 degrees Fahrenheit. That is approximately 10 degrees higher than average.
Don’t get me wrong — hot is hot is hot. And many European countries are not equipped with high-powered air conditioning like the United States because they just don’t need it. I get it!
Still, though, I laugh in the face of a heat warning for 83º temperatures. Much of the United States is currently getting smacked by a heatwave. Temperatures hovered closer to 90º in Ohio.
Borussia Dortmund played to a a 4-3 win over Mamelodi Sundowns at TQL Stadium in the Club World Cup on Saturday. It was hot and the German players are not accustomed to the heat.
As a result, Borussia Dortmund decided to move its entire bench off of the pitch to get them out of the sun. They watched the first half of the match from the air conditioned locker room instead.
Remember, it was only 87 degrees…
This is where next year’s World Cup comes into the equation. Matches will be played in North America from June 11 through July 19. Although Houston, Atlanta and Dallas have domed stadiums, Kansas City, Philadelphia, New Jersey, Miami and Mexico do not. A heatwave could very easily raise temperatures in those locations up to, or close to the 87º in Cincinnati on Saturday.
If Borussia Dortmund couldn’t handle the heat, how will Germany? What about the Netherlands? What about England? The list goes on…
I saw the following post on X, complaining about the heat in the UK.
28º Celcius is approximately 83º Fahrenheit. The Brits were asking for “luck” in 83º weather. That is nothing compared to next summer at the World Cup.
It entirely depends on the draw and which countries are placed where, but I am calling it now… A South American club is going to win the 2026 World Cup because of the heat and humidity. Europe won’t be able to handle it! Borussia is just an example.