‘England aren’t the greatest team in the heat, but we got to the semi-finals in Italy in 1990 when it was hot – if you let the little things get to you, it’s all negatives’ Former England favourites open up on the challenge of the North American climate

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - JUNE 24: A Powerade Hydration break is displayed on the screen during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group D match between Los Angeles Football Club and CR Flamengo at Camping World Stadium on June 24, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images).

A major international tournament throws up any number of challenges over the course of a summer.

Whether it’s player selection, injuries, tactics or logistics, a lot has to go right if a team is to trouble the final stages of the competition.

This summer’s World Cup in North America will be no different, with the climate being a further curveball that teams will need to contend with over the next few weeks.

Former England duo on how to deal with the heat

Last summer’s FIFA Club World Cup tournament gave teams a preview of what to expect this year, with hot and humid conditions forcing breaks in play, while thunderstorms also caused lengthy stoppages.

FIFA have since announced that each game at this summer’s tournament will include built-in drinks breaks 22 minutes into each half and former England striker Emile Heskey, who played in the punishing heat of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea, plus the 2010 tournament in South Africa says the conditions cannot be underestimated.

Emile Heskey played in the heat of the 2002 and 2010 World Cups (Image credit: Getty Images)

“The heat is something you have to consider,” Heskey tells FourFourTwo. “We went there early, and the humidity was the biggest thing. It was getting your breath – you have to acclimatise quickly. In 2010, it was also the altitude and the thinning of the air.

“I remember passing the ball and it was moving all over the place, because the air pressure made it move differently. I thought, ‘What’s going on?’”

Chris Waddle also played for the Three Lions in two World Cups, with the former winger experiencing challenging conditions during the 1986 tournament in Mexico.

However, he believes that Thomas Tuchel’s side cannot afford to enter the tournament thinking only about potential pitfalls.

“When we played in Mexico in 1986, there was the altitude, and the grass was the longest I’ve ever played on,” he recalls.

Thomas Tuchel will need to prepare his side for the conditions they will face this summer (Image credit: Getty Images)

“People say, ‘Football’s football’, but it’s not, you need to get used to it. England aren’t the greatest team in the heat, other countries are more used to it, but we got to the semi-finals in Italy in 1990 when it was hot.

“If you let the little things get to you, it’s all negatives. You need to think positively and say, ‘We’re a good side.’

“I don’t see any reason why we can’t be in that frame in the latter stages. Why not?”