Long flights, traversing time zones and stifling heat: The hurdles facing 2026 World Cup teams

SINGAPORE – When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

But at the 2026 World Cup, even the toughest will be pushed to their limits.

Spanning three nations, 16 host cities, 48 teams and a record 104 matches, the 2026 tournament will be the biggest and arguably the most physically taxing World Cup ever.

Unlike the compact nature of past editions, this is a World Cup where teams must navigate vast distances and with teams criss-crossing North America over the course of the competition with players already worn down by gruelling club seasons facing punishing travel schedules and limited recovery time.

Hence, the road to glory is set to be a test of endurance as much as excellence.

The 2026 edition is the first time that the World Cup is being hosted by more than one country since South Korea and Japan did so in 2002.

The expanded tournament in North America sees 16 more teams than the last one held in Qatar, with a 62.5 per cent increase in matches compared to the 64 staged in 2022.

Flight-heavy tournament

With an added round of 32 and matches held across Canada, United States and Mexico, the average distance travelled has naturally increased.

According to Sports Illustrated, Bosnia and Herzegovina have the longest travel route of any World Cup team during the group stage with a distance of 5,000km.

They kick off their campaign against Canada on June 12 at BMO Field in Toronto before making a 3,500km journey to Los Angeles for a June 18 fixture against Switzerland. A final group-stage match against Qatar awaits on June 24 in Seattle, about 1,500km away from Los Angeles.

When you factor in that their team’s base will be in Sandy, Utah, their itinerary would make for dizzy reading.

The teams facing the longest journeys among the top-ranked sides include England (2,800km), whose group-stage matches will be held near Dallas, Boston and New York.

Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions, who have been drawn into Group L, will kick off their tournament in the south before spending the rest of the group stage on the US East Coast.

After their opening game against Croatia in Texas, they will have to take a long flight covering over 2,500km to Massachusetts to face Ghana followed by an easier 300km journey to meet Panama.

But when factoring in that England will be flying out of the Midwest – the team will be based in Kansas City, Missouri – their actual air mileage will be significantly higher.

They are closely followed by the current European champions, Spain (2,400km), who have group games scheduled in Atlanta and near Guadalajara. At the other end of the scale, France’s group-stage travel is estimated at just under 600km.

In a sport that has increasingly been about finding the marginal gains, teams will have scrutinised the logistics of lengthy travel and tried to minimise disruptions to reduce the effects of travel fatigue for players.

Portugal coach Roberto Martinez told Reuters that the 2026 edition will be defined by logistics, climate and travel stress more than tactics.

He noted as well that the World Cup’s geography can shape a campaign, contrasting Russia 2018, with its vast distances, with Qatar 2022, where teams could stay in one hotel throughout the tournament with little travelling needed.

Martinez said: “The complexity of playing with different time zones, with playing with the heat, the humidity, almost moments of uncertainty when you get the storms. There are many aspects that are very, very different from how the game is played under those circumstances than what we do in Europe.”

Dealing with travel fatigue

Scott Xu, a consultant with the sport and exercise medicine department at Changi General Hospital, told The Straits Times that long travels can disrupt players’ normal routines involving sleep, hydration, diet and physical activity, which can negatively affect performance and recovery.

He added: “Cabin pressures which are lower compared to sea level may result in muscle swelling, and coupled with prolonged sitting and restricted movements, can contribute to muscle soreness. Dry air in the cabin can lead to dehydration, while low oxygen levels can disrupt sleep.”

Overall, these combined physical and psychological effects “likely contribute to the fatigue associated with travel,” added Xu, who noted that the three “absolute non-negotiables” for recovery will be “fuel, hydration and sleep”.

He Qixiang, the head of performance for Singapore Premier League champions Lion City Sailors, similarly assessed that “being in transit for extended hours can have a negative effect on performance for a multitude of reasons”.

He added that prolonged sitting or reclining reduces blood circulation, which may lead to increased swelling in the lower limbs, increased muscle stiffness and impaired joint mobility.

He, who holds a PhD in sports performance analytics, said: “This is particularly problematic when teams have to constantly travel during 30-day tournaments as the 24 to 48 hours after matches are crucial periods for recovery. This is a significant issue as being on a plane during this window is terrible for recovery given the cabin conditions.”

At the 2026 tournament, some teams will also hop between time zones and latitudes, which will present another challenge.

He added that players may have to adjust to vastly different environmental conditions in a very short time.

He noted how, for example, players may be required to play in Canada, where the environment is generally cool, to playing a couple of days later in the high altitude and warm climes of Mexico City.

“Apart from the significant shift in time zone, having to rapidly acclimatise to large changes in altitude and temperature can drastically impact performance – and potentially also increase the risk of injury,” He said.

The accumulated travel time will also increase the likelihood that players may lose their focus.

Xu added: “Travel fatigue can make it more difficult to sustain motivation to perform at a high intensity, which may affect player decision-making, especially towards the end of a game.”

Coping with the heat

Besides the heavy travel schedules, there will also be the problem of heat for players and teams to tackle.

Football’s global players’ union has already raised concerns about heat at the 2026 World Cup after scientists warned that the likelihood of dangerous temperatures for players and fans has sharply increased.

An analysis by climate research group World Weather Attribution found that roughly a quarter of the 104 matches at the tournament are likely to be played in conditions exceeding safety limits recommended by FIFPRO, almost twice the risk seen at the 1994 World Cup in the US.

Scorching heat was also a major concern at the June-July 2025 Club World Cup in the US, with medical experts and players’ unions expressing concerns about heat stress, dehydration and slower recovery times then as well.

At the World Cup, around five matches could take place in conditions considered unsafe, where postponement would be advised, the researchers said.

Chris Mullington, consultant anaesthetist at Imperial College London NHS Trust and clinical senior lecturer at Imperial College London, said extreme heat is more likely to influence how games are played than trigger widespread medical emergencies among players.

“It will be more of a performance issue than a health issue,” he said. “These players are elite athletes and acclimatised. You’ll see players self-pacing. That behavioural thermoregulation is very difficult to override.

“So you may end up with more conservative football.”

To combat the heat, FIFA has already mandated a three-minute hydration break midway through each half during World Cup matches.

Referees will stop games 22 minutes into each half so players can rehydrate.

Former England midfielder Joe Cole, who represented the Three Lions at the 2002, 2006 and 2010 World Cups, said the teams’ travel schedule and response to the heat are among the factors that will determine how far they will go.

Adding that fatigue will “absolutely” be on players’ minds, the 44-year-old told ST: “You need to be lucky with how the tournament shapes up along the way. You don’t want to be going from Mexico City up to Seattle down to New York, so you need to get lucky with the draw.

“There’s an art to getting the players ready to regain and recover and get them to travel. But ultimately the team that has the biggest spirit, the biggest fire, the biggest togetherness will come through.”

But Sailors defender Bailey Wright, who has been a part of two World Cup squads – in 2014 and 2022 – for Australia, disagreed and told ST that players would not be too fussed.

The 33-year-old said playing at a World Cup is a lifelong dream for most, adding that while players will naturally feel “sore and tired” after a long season, competing on the biggest stage will outweigh concerns over exhaustion.

He noted: “Of course, there has to be some element of protection for players, but this is what everyone dreamed of as a kid – to play at the World Cup. So I’m sure that fatigue will probably be the last thing on players’ minds going into these games.

“It’ll be all about winning and representing themselves, their countries and the opportunity to live childhood dreams,” added Wright.