England defender Reece James said his teammates must brace for “super difficult conditions” at the 2026 World Cup in North America having experienced 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, playing through a heatwave in Philadelphia and thunderstorms in Charlotte, said England are readying for the World Cup heat next summer.
The 48-team showpiece event will feature 104 matches across 16 host cities in Canada, Mexico and the United States. Dallas, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, Monterrey, and Guadalajara, where June and July temperatures often exceed 33°C (91°F), will be tough to endure.
“Everyone is aware of that. We are trying to prepare as best we can for that. It’s super difficult conditions to play in that heat. Especially for us playing in England, there’s not anything like that before,” James told reporters on Tuesday.
“You feel the heat the minute you step outside the hotel. Once you are out there you adapt the longer you are there, when you are settled in one place and try to limit the things you can. Later kick-offs when it’s not so hot and humid, that would definitely help.
Matches in venues such as Vancouver, Seattle, San Francisco and Toronto are expected to offer milder conditions at next year’s finals. However, the 25-year-old James noted that poor pitch quality compounded the weather challenges.
“The pitches when we were there weren’t the greatest either and made it a little bit harder but hopefully by the time the World Cup comes around it’s better,” he added.
England host Serbia on Thursday and visit Albania on Sunday in their last two World Cup qualifiers.
