Real Madrid missed a penalty late in the game and 4 BC's, having to settle for a 1-1 draw with Al-Hilal in Miami in a game played in brutal conditions. New Real head coach Xabi Alonso looked too exhausted to stand on the sidelines and was sweating profusely whilst sat slumped in the shade of the dugout. The Pachuca- Salzburg game was delayed for an hour due to thunder and lightning and the weather in the US is not conducive to modern high energy football being played every 3-4 days, at what for most is the end of an already long domestic season.

 

Yet this is where the expanded 48 team World Cup is going to be hosted next year (US-Mexico-Canada), between June 11- July 19, with three group stage games before we get to a round of 32! The 2022 World Cup was held in Qatar where the weather is even more extreme, but was moved to the cooler months of November/December. We are going ahead in high summer next year and temperatures are likely to be mid 30's plus and humid at almost all venues and with many kick off times scheduled for midday and early afternoon, the hottest time of the day, so that games can be shown at peak viewing times in the major television markets.

 

The middle part of the Real- Al-Hilal game was played at snail's pace with both struggling in the conditions and we are talking about Spanish and Saudi teams who shouldn't be unused to hot weather. I can see that being the norm in many games next year and hardly likely to provide the platform for the spectacle that most viewers would be hoping for. Although there will be possibly 2-3 preferred venues where conditions could be better and another 2-3 where they will be even worse and next summer the traditional "group of death" might have more to do with the weather than the quality of opposition! Surely more consideration has to be given to dates and venues going forward.

 

BTW, the next Club World Cup is scheduled for 2029 and there is currently talk of also expanding that to 48 teams (as too many name clubs missed out this time around) and holding it again in June and July and, the favoured venue as I type is ..........the US!

 

This is all about money, of course it is, whilst exposing football to a still largely untapped market and the prize money on offer at the FIFA CWC is eye-watering, a total of over 900m€ and with some clubs being paid 35m€ just as a participation ( appearance) fee. 

 

Good luck!