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PHILADELPHIA — When France and Paraguay kick off at 5 pm for the World Cup’s marquee Fourth of July match in Philadelphia, the temperature at the outdoor stadium will be around 100 degrees.
The U.S. is undergoing a heat wave this week that is particularly strong in the Northeast. Highs have hovered around 100 degrees since Wednesday. Saturday’s round of 16 match is the first that will be played outdoors in that weather, although Friday’s matches in Miami and Kansas City were also notably hot, each around 87 degrees at kickoff.
Temperatures are supposed to slightly drop before Sunday’s match between Brazil and Norway in New Jersey.
The round of 16 match will have some of the harshest weather conditions of the tournament. Other matches have been impacted by rain and lightning delays, including one in Philadelphia during France’s group stage win over Iraq.
FIFA has not indicated moving the match any later in the evening to avoid the high temperatures. Such a decision wouldn’t have collided with any other matches, as the only other Round of 16 game on Saturday was Canada–Morocco, which kicked off earlier in the afternoon in Houston.
The global governing body was considering moving kickoff times for some other matches—particularly Sunday’s Brazil–Norway and Mexico–England games—but decided against it.
While initial reports suggested this could be because of weather, FIFA was more concerned about fan behavior, according to The Athletic. Four people died during festivities after Mexico’s round of 32 win.
Saturday’s heat may provide an advantage to Paraguay, the heavy underdog coming into the match. Earlier Saturday, France was No. 1 in FIFA’s world rankings, while Paraguay was No. 34.
Coach Gustavo Alfaro said Friday the weather is “very similar to what we have in Asunción,” while defender Júnior Alonso said it’s “completely normal for us.”
“Hopefully it will get a little warmer tomorrow,” Alonso said.
The heat will be less natural for France, though Kylian Mbappé and his squad also played in 90-degree heat on Tuesday in New Jersey.
“It’s not ideal,” coach Didier Deschamps said Friday. “But I’m not too worried about the heat. Together with the medical staff, we’ve made sure that various measures have been put in place.”
Though the hydration breaks at this World Cup have been widely mocked as a money grab for FIFA and its broadcast partners, few will be complaining about them on Saturday. The global players’ union, FIFPro, has said that games should include cooling breaks when played in temperatures above 86 degrees Fahrenheit and should be delayed or postponed at 96 Fahrenheit. It will be hotter than that in South Philly on Saturday evening.
Saturday won’t be the hottest World Cup match of all time. When the U.S. hosted the World Cup in 1994, Mexico and Ireland played in 110 degree weather in Orlando. But few World Cup games have been played in such brutal conditions.
Because of the conditions, different teams are on very different paths to the final. Unlike France’s back-to-back scorchers, Spain played in the round of 32 in more temperate Los Angeles, and will face Portugal indoors in Dallas for the round of 16. Should both teams advance, France will be outside again in Boston, and Spain will be in Los Angeles.
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