Heat and health experts have warned that FIFA’s decision to ban water bottles at World Cup 2026 matches could increase the risk of heat-related harm—especially for spectators. FIFA says it will introduce a three-minute hydration break in each half, but critics
By the time fans reach the stadium, the damage from heat may already be under way.
That’s the concern being raised by Ollie Jay, a professor of heat and health at the University of Sydney, after FIFA responded to public warnings about heat safety by introducing one three-minute hydration break in each half for every game at the tournament.
Jay said his worry is less about the players’ ability to handle conditions and more about the people watching from the stands—many of whom won’t have the same resilience. “If you look at the athlete population, all of them are very fit,” Jay said. “Whereas if you think about the spectators. you’ve got a broad range of different people that will be attending. from young kids to elderly people. people with chronic diseases. people taking different types of medications – all of which results in different levels of heat sensitivity.”.
In Jay’s view, “Your average spectator is probably going to be less resilient to the heat than these highly conditioned professional athletes.”
He warned that heat strain can build up before a match even begins. Fans could be exposed to high temperatures on their journey to the venue and then arrive dehydrated. “He warned that heat strain could accumulate progressively as fans are exposed to heat on their journey to the game and risk arriving at the stadium in a state of dehydration. ” the criticism continues.
It’s not only the thermometer that matters. Jay pointed to the environment inside stadiums—crowded. confined spaces where people may sit directly in sunlight. with little air movement. “It’s not just the temperature that we need to be concerned about,” he added. “If you think about your average spectator sitting in a closely confined area surrounded by lots of other people. they’ll be in direct sunlight. It might be humid. The airflow might be low.”.
The result, he said, is that “the amount of heat stress that their body has to cope with could be quite significant.”
Jay’s objections sharpened around FIFA’s bottle ban in particular. In May. Jay was one of 20 experts who signed an open letter to FIFA warning that guidelines left players at risk of serious harm. Plans for misting systems and shaded areas were called “inadequate,” and Jay says the bottle ban further endangers fans. “Unless the cooling controls are really successful. I would imagine this decision [to ban water bottles in stadiums] will clearly heighten the risk of heat-related health incidents.”.
Dr Theodore Keeping from Imperial College London. author of a World Weather Attribution study of heat safety at the tournament. focused on the same basic point: hydration must be accessible. “Allowing fair and equitable access to hydration is a basic first defence against the extreme heat risks climate change is bringing to this World Cup. ” Keeping said.
That framing is echoed by broader criticism of FIFA’s handling of heat and climate responsibility. Andrew Simms, from the New Weather Institute, questioned the message behind the policy. “Is Fifa climate-trolling the game it’s meant to protect?” he said.
Simms also pointed to FIFA’s wider record. saying the tournament is already “the most polluting World Cup ever. ” adding that it is sponsored by “one of the world’s biggest climate-polluting oil companies.” He said heat safety protocols have been “heavily criticised by world leading health experts. ” and argued that making it harder for fans to protect themselves is the wrong direction: “Now making it even more difficult for fans to stay safe in a competition vulnerable to global heating seems to be a reckless rejection of Fifa’s duty of care.”.
FIFA’s three-minute hydration break plan offers a clear step in the match itself. But the criticism from these experts centers on what happens before and around kickoff—how crowds. confinement. direct sun. and uneven heat sensitivity can turn a single moment of cooling into a fragile substitute for consistent access to water.
World Cup 2026 FIFA heat safety hydration break water bottle ban spectator welfare Ollie Jay University of Sydney Imperial College London Theodore Keeping World Weather Attribution Andrew Simms New Weather Institute
So they ban water bottles but add like a 3 min break? seems pointless.
I’m sorry but banning water bottles in hot weather is just dumb. My grandma would die before halftime, like for real. They always act like everyone’s a pro athlete.
They’re saying FIFA’s response is one hydration break each half for every game, but won’t fans be tired and dehydrated already by the time they even get in? I heard something about “inside the stadium in sunlight” like that’s gonna be fixed by not letting bottles in?? Also this feels like it’s about control not safety.
Wait so do they ban water bottles like period, or only the big ones? Because if it’s just bottles, fans could still buy water there right? But I guess if they’re packed in crowded seats and people don’t drink, yeah… My cousin told me FIFA does stuff to prevent “terror” stuff so they just blanket ban everything. Idk, I didn’t read the whole thing, but it sounds like a mess.