The World Cup is getting hotter. A sports architect shares how stadiums can adapt

FastCompany: Fans and players at the World Cup this year are facing the heat as summer temperatures skyrocket, but smart stadium design can help keep them cooler than they would otherwise be. Ten of the 16 World Cup venues this year in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico are at high risk of extreme heat conditions , according to a report by Future for Football, a group that researches climate and sustainability in soccer. A warming climate will only make it worse.

The report found that a “sharp increase in extreme heat poses rising risks to the players’ health, matchday operations, and spectator safety.” Extreme heat is especially an issue in 2026 World Cup cities farther south in the U.S., like in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, and Miami, where historical average temperatures are high in June and July. However, stadiums farther north also face hazardous conditions. The upcoming Fourth of July match in Philadelphia will take place under high heat illness risk, according to NPR . A cooling station at the New York/New Jersey Stadium on June 25, 2026.

[Photo: Liao Pan/China News Service/VCG/Getty Images] “The fact is that summers are hotter. They’re hotter longer,” Chris DeVolder, director of sports at the architectural firm Gensler, tells Fast Company . FIFA does have plans to combat the extreme heat at the World Cup, which includes a Heat Illness Mitigation and Management Task Force staffed with medical professionals, as well as scheduling games to avoid the hottest times of the day. Organizers have also added cooling areas, water stations, and misters for fans. An interior view of Atlanta Stadium, with its retractable oculus letting in partial sunlight.

[Photo: Nicolò Campo/LightRocket/Getty Images] Only three of the World Cup stadiums in the U.S.—Atlanta, Dallas, and Houston—are air-conditioned and have retractable roofs that can close. To ensure player and fan safety in other cities, venues are relying on various other interventions. Here are three strategies that stadiums can employ now, as well as in the future. Throw shade Canopies and other shading strategies are core interventions to mitigate heat. “Shade is our best friend,” DeVolder says.

“And it’s not just in the seating bowl, but in the concourses.” A general view during a hydration break in the FIFA World Cup 2026 Group L match between Panama and Croatia at Toronto Stadium on June 23, 2026. [Photo: Megan Briggs/Getty Images] Shading over the field of play and seating can keep players and fans cooler, although it creates a challenge in maintaining healthy grass. Artificial turf is an alternative, but it retains more heat than natural grass. The World Cup venues all use natural grass.

“It just means the groundskeeper has to put a little more energy into keeping the grass green because you’ll have some times a year where you get full shade, and that’s hard to deal with,” DeVolder says. Pink grow lights illuminate newly laid grass on the pitch inside AT&T Stadium, which will be called “Dallas Stadium” during the duration of the tournament, in Arlington, Texas, on May 18, 2026. [Photo: Mark Felix/AFPGetty Images] Extending the shade out with canopies, trees, or tents, like the temporary air-conditioned tents outside of World Cup stadiums, can also help lower the overall ambient temperature.

Article truncated for readability. Read the full piece →

The article addresses significant challenges posed by climate change to major sporting events, highlighting innovative architectural solutions that are crucial for brand strategy in the sports industry.