UConn Athlete Performance Experts Say World Cup Needs More Built-In Water Breaks

STORRS, CT — With the World Cup beginning on June 11 in North America, along with the start of summer and high temperatures that pose a threat to athletes, fans, and workers, a group of experts, including two faculty members in UConn’s Korey Stringer Institute (KSI), signed an open letter calling for the international soccer governing body FIFA to implement more extensive heat mitigation measures.

"We respectfully urge FIFA to adopt heat-management protocols that prioritize prevention over response, and that align with contemporary exercise physiology, occupational health principles, and duty-of-care standards expected in elite sport," the letter reads.

Douglas Casa, CEO of KSI and Board of Trustees Distinguished Professor of Kinesiology in the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources (CAHNR), and Robert Huggins, chief research officer and president of athlete performance at KSI and assistant professor of kinesiology, were signatories.

Others include experts from universities and professional organizations around the world.

Currently, FIFA mandates that if temperatures reach 32 degrees Celsius (89.6 Fahrenheit) wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT), there is a three-minute break at the 30 and 75-minute marks of each game. WBGT is an estimate of the combined effects of air temperature, humidity, wind, and sunlight on the human body.

Host cities including Miami, Houston, and Atlanta have average summer temperatures in the 90s with high humidity.

Casa and the other experts who signed onto the letter urge FIFA to lower the temperature threshold to 26 degrees WBGT (78.8 Fahrenheit) and extend breaks to six minutes. This would allow players to hydrate for longer, put cool towels on their bodies, and potentially sit under a shade brought onto the field, as players are not allowed to leave during breaks, they said.