Institute of Geography and Spatial Organization, Polish Academy of Sciences, Twarda 51/55, Warsaw, 00-818, Poland.
Department of Climatology, Faculty of Geography and Regional Studies, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 30, Warsaw, 00-927, Poland.
Sci Rep. 2024 Nov 28;14(1):26976. doi: 10.1038/s41598-024-77540-1.
This study investigates the risk of severe heat stress and associated potential water losses in professional soccer players, considering as well the oxygen content of the inhaled air in the context of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. For the 16 stadiums, hourly values of biometeorological indices (adjusted Universal Thermal Climate Index - UTCI, Water loss - SW and Oxygen volume - Ov) were calculated. UTCI adjustments included modifications to activity levels, movement speeds and clothing configurations to better reflect the level of thermal stress on soccer player during a match. Ten out of the sixteen sites of the 2026 FIFA World Cup are at very high risk of experiencing extreme heat stress conditions. The highest risk of uncompensable thermal stress due to very high average hourly UTCI values above 49.5 °C and excessive water loss (> 1.5 kg/h) occur in the afternoon in stadiums located in Arlington, Houston (USA) and in Monterrey (Mexico). The results of this study will enable optimization of match schedules at individual venues, taking into account the health risks associated with extreme heat stress, but also the physiological reactions to heat potentially affecting the performance of players on the pitch.
本研究考察了职业足球运动员在 2026 年国际足联世界杯背景下严重热应激和相关潜在水分损失的风险，同时考虑了吸入空气的含氧量。对于 16 个体育场，计算了生物气象指数（调整后的通用热气候指数 - UTCI、水分损失 - SW 和氧气体积 - Ov）的每小时值。UTCI 调整包括对活动水平、运动速度和服装配置进行修改，以更好地反映足球运动员在比赛中受到的热应激水平。2026 年国际足联世界杯的 16 个场馆中有 10 个处于极热应激条件的极高风险之中。由于平均每小时 UTCI 值高于 49.5°C 的极高值和过度水分损失（>1.5kg/h），位于美国阿灵顿、休斯顿和墨西哥蒙特雷的场馆在下午面临极高的不可补偿热应激风险。本研究的结果将能够优化各个场馆的比赛日程，考虑与极端热应激相关的健康风险，以及可能影响球场上球员表现的对热的生理反应。
