Brazil’s warm climate is proving immensely controversial in the run-up to the World Cup’s first group match. Despite criticism and calls for short cooling breaks amid health concerns, FIFA has refused to alter its schedule of lunchtime kickoffs.
When it comes to temperature, the 2014 World Cup is expected to resemble USA ’94 when the mercury hit 110 degrees – sauna like conditions. European teams have always fared poorly in such high temperatures. When it comes to the group stages in Brazil, Italy will have the most gruelling battle with the climate, facing an average kickoff temperature of 83.2 degrees. Mexico comes second with 81.7 while the USA rounds off the top three with 80.9.
The World Cup’s 10 Hottest Teams
Description
This chart shows the average temperature at kickoff of 2014 World Cup group matches.
