Reece James warns England of extreme heat at the 2026 World Cup

England defender Reece James said his teammates must brace for “super tough conditions” at the 2026 World Cup in North America after experiencing intense summer heat during Chelsea’s Club World Cup campaign earlier this year.

James, who captained Chelsea at the Club World Cup held in the United States from June 14 to July 13 and played during a heatwave in Philadelphia and thunderstorms in Charlotte, said England are preparing for next summer’s World Cup preliminary round.

The 48-team showpiece will include 104 matches in 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Dallas, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Monterrey and Guadalajara, where temperatures in June and July often exceed 33°C (91°F), will be difficult to tolerate.

«Everyone is aware of that. We’re trying to prepare for that as best we can. It’s super difficult conditions to play in this heat. Especially for us playing in England, nothing like this has ever existed before,» James told reporters on Tuesday.

«You feel the heat from the moment you step out of the hotel. Once you’re outside, the longer you’re there, you adapt to sitting in one place and trying to limit the things you can do. Later kick-offs when it’s not so hot and humid would definitely help.

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Matches in locations such as Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco and Toronto are expected to offer milder conditions during next year’s finals. However, 25-year-old James noted that the poor quality of the pitch made the weather conditions worse.

“The pitches when we were there weren’t the best either and made it a bit more difficult, but hopefully by the time the World Cup comes around it will be better,” he added.

England host Serbia on Thursday and visit Albania on Sunday in their final two World Cup qualifiers.

Published on November 12, 2025