By Andy Hart, Associate Director, Hilson Moran

Sport, often seen as a unifying global spectacle, is not immune to environmental pressures. From heatwaves to extreme rainfall, high winds to severe drought to air pollution and disrupted logistics, climate-related risks are escalating – and by 2030, will they be too big to ignore?

As Canada, Mexico and the United States embark on the 2026 FIFA World Cup^TM and Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay prepare to co-host the tournament’s 2030 edition, excitement is building. Yet, behind the scenes, a less visible threat looms over the success of both tournament: climate change.

This week we have seen record breaking temperatures in parts of Portugal and Spain, and as Wimbledon begins, centre court closes the roof to minimise heat impacts on spectators and players. Not to mention the intense and unforgiving heat experienced during the FIFA Club World Cup competition in the USA; stress testing stadia, infrastructure, players and spectators to their limits. This should present a wakeup call to the 2026 FIFA World Cup^TM organisers to act now in order to evaluate and respond to future risk.

Climate Change is Reshaping the Playing Field

Projections suggest that such heatwaves will increase in both frequency and unpredictability by the end of the decade. For global tournaments like the World Cup or Olympic Games, the implications are profound:

• Player Safety: Elite athletes performing in extreme heat face increased risks of heatstroke, dehydration, and reduced performance. Even in the UK, unseasonal heat during July could push training and matches into the red zone of FIFA^’s heat-risk index.
• Fan Experience: Open-air stadiums, fan zones and mass travel in sweltering heat may cause significant discomfort and health risks for spectators, especially the elderly or those with underlying conditions.
• Air Quality & Pollution: Higher temperatures correlate with worsened air quality due to increased ground-level ozone. This could not only affect athlete respiration but also breach health advisories for urban populations where matches are hosted.

Major sports events are increasingly evaluated not just on their execution but on their environmental footprint and resilience planning. If sport fails to address these climate vulnerabilities, it could damage both its international reputation and overall, discouraging long-term attendance.

Understanding Overheating in Stadia

Overheating in stadia can be a result of multiple factors and is a consequence of a lack of expert design intervention. Some examples are:

• Direct solar gain on exposed seating bowls and concourses
• Inefficient air movement in partially covered or closed-roof venues
• Radiant heat from hard finishes, pitch surfaces and surrounding infrastructure
• Inadequate passive or active ventilation strategies
• Poor access to shade and cooling in high-density crowd areas
• Rising frequency of high external air temperatures

When these factors converge, especially in venues used during the hottest part of the day, the impact is significant: on player recovery and hydration, on fan safety and enjoyment and on a club’s long-term operational resilience.

Engineering Solutions: What can be Done?

What can be done is another question…as engineers, we are here to design, guide, advise, communicate and solve problems. Whilst climate change is a global issue, the design solutions can be local, site-specific and creative. Some of the strategies we explore with our clients include:

• Passive Design First: Optimising bowl geometry, orientation and roof cover can make a massive difference. Deep overhangs, tuned canopies and dynamic shading can reduce direct solar exposure, even in retrofit scenarios.
• Hybrid Cooling Systems: We’re now exploring systems that combine passive strategies with smart mechanical solutions – such as displacement ventilation, evaporative cooling or fan-assisted airflow designed around crowd densities and usage patterns.
• Thermal Zoning and Smart Materials: Using different material finishes and albedo values across spectator zones, walkways and concourses can reduce radiant heat. Thermal modelling tools allow us to test various interventions at design stage.
• Water, Landscaping and Microclimate Design: Water features, trees and soft landscaping aren’t just aesthetic – they can provide evaporative cooling, improve airflow and enhance the thermal performance of a precinct or fan zone.
• Data-Led Decision Making: Tools like our Sports Sector Sustainability Framework (SportScore) allow us to model environmental impacts, track comfort risks and propose mitigation strategies with measurable value – not just in terms of energy, but in wellbeing, performance, and fan experience.

We are working with leading academia institutes to develop statistical metrics to assure our design, and strategies are cutting edge in performance for climate change as well as athlete performance.

Lessons from our own Projects

We’ve applied these principles on major venues across the UK and internationally. From active and passive ventilation and cooling strategies for the previous FIFA World Cup^TM 2022 in Qatar, to integrating passive cooling and shading with a vertical landscape and foliage to filter and cool warm summer winds at the new National Stadium in Serbia. We’re currently working with stakeholders to deliver real-life, resilient, climate-adapted solutions.

Our work has also shown that tackling overheating isn’t just about compliance – it’s about protecting club revenue for the long-term, supporting athletes and ensuring fans keep coming back.

Looking Ahead to 2026

With the 2026 FIFA World Cup^TM also heading to North America – including venues in hotter southern states and mid-summer time slots – this conversation has never been more urgent.

We hope the recent Club World Cup acts as a wake-up call for all involved in stadium design, operation and funding. At Hilson Moran, we believe climate resilience needs to be built into every aspect of stadium planning – not as an add-on, but as a core part of how modern venues are designed, upgraded and operated.

Beyond the Final Whistle

In 2030, the eyes of the world will be on Spain, Portugal and Morocco, not just to see who lifts the trophy, but how we rise to the challenge of hosting a global event in an era defined by climate uncertainty.

We have six years. The question isn’t whether climate change will impact the tournament – it’s how prepared we’ll be when it does.

If you’d like to talk to us about how to mitigate overheating and adapt your sports venue for future climates, please get in touch with us: