England 'need to adapt' to US heat

England manager Thomas Tuchel said he might keep his substitutes in the dressing room during matches at the 2026 World Cup next summer, in an attempt to mitigate the impact of extreme heat.

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"If this helps the players later in the match, we have to consider it," he told BBC Sport on Dec 4.

"Nobody likes it because I want the players to be out there, feeling the energy and bringing it from the bench onto the pitch. But I saw players doing this at the Club World Cup. Hopefully we can avoid it."

Scorching heat was a major concern at the 2025 Club World Cup in the US last June, when medical experts and players' unions expressed concerns about heat stress, dehydration and slower recovery times.

Tuchel admitted that this would be problematic for high-level football, saying it would reduce the intensity of matches in the upcoming World Cup which will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

"You can’t play the same football in 45 deg C as in 21deg C. We need to adapt and prepare the players as well as possible," he added.