Preparing for the Extreme Heat of the 2026 World Cup with a PGMO Referee

Why It Matters

With the 2026 World Cup staged in hot North American venues, effective heat acclimation directly affects referees’ safety and decision-making consistency; measurable improvements reduce dehydration risk and help preserve performance and match integrity.

Summary

Stuart, an international assistant referee with more than 500 Premier League matches and selected for his second World Cup across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, completed a 10-session, three-week heat-acclimation block with the PGMO. Testing showed clear physiological gains: reduced tympanic temperature and heart rate at fixed workloads, higher sweat rates and increased fluid intake, and lower perceived exertion in heat-chamber sessions. Coaches say these adaptations should make match conditions—including those in Miami and other hot venues—easier to tolerate than during his previous Club World Cup outing. Overall, the program appears to have measurably improved his thermoregulation and readiness for extreme heat.

Original Description

Over the past few weeks, PGMO Official Stuart Burt has been working with the Physiology team at Loughborough Sport, getting ready for the conditions he will be OFFICIATING in during the @fifaworldcup . Stuart has done a series of SESSIONS in the heat chamber, where he has been in 35 degree heat, with 85% humidity. This helped Stuart acclimatise to the conditions in the US, so he can focus on the game.

Preparing for an event in the heat? Visit the link below for support:

https://www.lboro.ac.uk/sport/support-services/physiology/heat-training/