FIFA is "not taking the dangers of extreme heat seriously enough" and is on course for a "perfect storm" of unsafe conditions at major events like the 2026 World Cup, according to Peter Crisp from environmental advocacy group Fossil Free Football.

Speaking after Bayern Munich lost to Benfica in temperatures of 36 degrees Celsius (97 Fahrenheit) at the Club World Cup in the US city of Charlotte on Tuesday, Crisp told DW that such an outcome, which has become commonplace in recent days at the Club World Cup, should have been entirely predictable to football's global governors.

"This was a very obvious risk. It only took a brief look at the previous weather records from the cities involved to show that dangerous heat was absolutely going to impact this tournament, and so it's proved," he said.

Bayern coach Vincent Kompany referred to the "tough conditions" in his post-match press briefings, adding that one positive of the loss, which still saw Bayern progress, is that "we don't need to play in Charlotte anymore."

Unfortunately, for the German champions, the issues are not confined to one city, with a climate phenomenon known as the "heat dome"

© Deutsche Welle