by The opening expanded Club World Cup has delivered a spectacle on the pitch, which is characterized by outsiders -triumvhe and fascinating support from South American and Arab fans. However, since the tournament approaches its last phases, the concerns about the well -being of the player and the lukewarm visitors have triggered significant debates in the United States.
What many expected to be a European dominated affair has instead excluded several heavyweights from the UEFA Champions League. In addition to Saudi -Arabia Al Hilal, the Brazilian sides of Flamengo, Botafogo and Fluminense have created some of the most exciting stories of the tournament. Fluminensee fascinated Inter Milan with a 2-0 win in the 16th round, while Al Hilal scored a seismic surprise by excluding Pep Guardiolas Manchester City. Inter Miami from Lionel Messi also played in the tournament and defeated Porto in the group stage 2-1 and ended a 13-year-old undefeated run for European teams against clubs from other continents.
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While the campaign in the field brought some drama, the challenges outside the field raised the eyebrows. The extreme weather of the American summer, characterized by scorching heat and unexpected thunderstorms, has disturbed the games before the 2026 World Cup, which also take place in North America, and driven the games. The increasing temperatures and the oppressive humidity have led to major complaints from players and trainers, which prompted the Global Players’ Union Fifpro to examine whether the extension of the half -time could better protect to 20 minutes and the introduction of frequent cooling breaks. Nine of the 16 host cities for the facial conditions 2026 as an “extreme risk” for heat -related diseases, the security concerns of the players and the promotion of obligatory cooling aids or schedule changes.
“Heat conditions are a serious issue that affects football worldwide,” FIFA of the World Soccer’s leadership committee told Reuters. “Discussions about how to deal with heating conditions have to take place together … The protection of the players must be in the center.” With the semi -finals and the final one planned for the local time at 3 p.m. in the Metlife Stadium in New Jersey, where the temperatures could reach 32 degrees Celsius, the thermal debate should intensify. Thunderstorms also caused disorders, with the games being lifted when the players left the field and the fans were looking for protection. Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca criticized that he had the United States as a host as a host after a two-hour weather delay had affected the last 16 victory of his team against Benfica in Charlotte.
The knockout match with Chelsea, which was played in a half-empty stadium of under 26,000 years, showed the overwhelming number of visitors for games in which European clubs were involved. In contrast, South American and Arab fans have provided a large part of the liveliness of the tournament. Despite the excitement on the field, the FIFA website still lists numerous tickets for remaining games, including the semi-finals of the next week and the final on July 13th, and raises questions about the broader attraction of the tournament in the USA because FIFA reflects the success and challenges of the Club World Championship.
