Hot Weather and Hybrid Grass, Players' Biggest Obstacles in Club World Cup

Summer in the United States has proven to be unfriendly for players competing in the Club World Cup. While struggling against a climate with high humidity, footballers must also adapt to playing surfaces that do not utilize natural grass.

Chelsea concluded their competition in Group D with a 3-0 victory over Esperance Sportive de Tunis on Wednesday (25/6/2025) morning WIB, at Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, USA. This 3-0 win allowed "The Blues" to finish in second place in Group D, setting up a challenge against Benfica in the round of 16.

Despite that victory, the Chelsea squad not only has to contend with the Esperance players. They also have to grapple with the hot weather that has been enveloping Philadelphia in recent days.

"We are having difficulty training because the weather is very hot. This condition makes it challenging for the players," said Chelsea Manager Enzo Maresca about the hot weather in Philadelphia, which reached 36 degrees Celsius ahead of his team's third match, as reported by the BBC after the game.

The decision to rotate eight players compared to the lineup in the second match against Flamengo, said Maresca, was also based on the players' fitness conditions, which were not ideal for playing under the hot weather in the United States.

"It's impossible not to rotate the players because they play every three days in (hot) conditions like this," he said later.

Borussia Dortmund became a team that demonstrated the significant impact of hot weather on their performance when facing South African representatives, Mamelodi Sundowns, on Saturday (21/6/2025), at TQL Stadium, Cincinnati.

Since the first half, the substitute players have been watching their teammates compete in the locker room, not on the sidelines. The temperature reaching 36 degrees Celsius is the cause.

The ball bounced like a rabbit. It made it difficult for us to play our style of play. - Luis Enrique -

Dortmund was only able to maintain a high level of play for 60 minutes. They led 4-1 after one hour of play. After that, Sundowns were able to take advantage of Dortmund's fatigue by scoring two goals.

"We sweated like we were in a sauna," Dortmund coach Niko Kovac was quoted as saying by USA Today.

According to CBS News, extreme heat temperatures are sweeping across the central and eastern United States as we approach the end of June. Of the 11 cities hosting the 2025 Club World Cup, only two cities have been reported to be unaffected by average temperatures exceeding 90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 degrees Celsius. These two cities are Pasadena (California) and Seattle (Washington).

Three cities that hosted matches at the beginning of this week, namely Cincinnati, Nashville, and Atlanta, had average temperatures exceeding 32 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, three other cities, namely New Jersey, Philadelphia, and Washington DC, are reported to experience heat temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius over the next week.

Not only easy to get tired, the hot weather experienced by players can accelerate players facing dehydration, cramps, to heat stroke. So, since the first matchday, the majority of matches have implemented a cooling break (rehydration break) when entering the 30th and 75th minutes. The break is to give players time to rest and drink.

Not only the players, but the hot weather was also complained about by the supporters who attended the match. Many supporters even took off their shirts.

"In Europe, the heat is drier; here (in the US), hot air has higher humidity. I think this hot air is twice as torturous for the players compared to when they play in Europe," said Tyler Fernando, one of the supporters watching the match between Bayern Munich and Benfica in Charlotte.

In the match won by Benfica 1-0, the temperature around the stadium reached 36 degrees Celsius. "It is difficult to maintain performance under such (hot) conditions," said Vincent Kompany, Bayern's coach, after the match as reported on the club's website.

Aside from the hot weather, the eastern coastal region has also been hit by thunderstorms several times. It was recorded that five group stage matches of the 2025 Club World Cup were temporarily halted due to heavy rain accompanied by lightning in the vicinity of the stadium.

The five matches are Auckland City against Boca Juniors in Nashville, followed by another match between Auckland and Benfica in Orlando. A similar situation also occurred between Palmeiras and Al Ahly in New Jersey.

The match that was also postponed due to a storm was RB Salzburg against Pachuca in Cincinnati, as well as the duel between Ulsan and Mamelodi in Orlando. Such extreme weather conditions may also occur during the 2026 World Cup next year.

Aside from the heat issue, European teams are also raising concerns about the fields in the United States. Several fields use hybrid grass that combines natural and synthetic grass.

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) coach Luis Enrique expressed criticism regarding the quality of the pitch at Lumen Field Stadium in Seattle. PSG played against the Seattle Sounders at the sports venue, which is also used by the American Football League (NFL) team, the Seattle Seahawks.

Lumen Field generally uses synthetic grass when hosting the Sounders in Major League Soccer (MLS) and the Seattle Seahawks in the NFL. Specifically for the Club World Cup, the venue utilizes hybrid grass.

"The ball bounced like a rabbit. It made it difficult for us to play our style of play," Enrique was quoted as saying by the BBC.

Jude Bellingham, a midfielder for Real Madrid, considers the two pitches that Real has played on in the Club World Cup to be unsuitable for hosting high-level matches. According to him, players find it difficult to control the ball and it also poses a risk of injury to the players.

"The field is really not good. The ball is difficult to control. This condition is also not good for the knees. I hope this situation is given careful attention for next year's World Cup," said Bellingham. (AFP/AP)