MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. – Carla Gregory was fighting the heat even before watching the World Cup quarterfinal between England and Norway on Saturday.
She carried cold water in one hand and had an unfolded fan in the other, flapping it in hopes of creating her own little breeze. Despite her efforts, the elements seemed to be winning; no matter what she tried, the England fan was still, at best, uncomfortable.
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“I can’t imagine playing 90 minutes in it,” said Gregory, who traveled from Telford, England, with her husband to follow their team in the World Cup.
Norway had to contend with Harry Kane on the pitch, while England had its own star, Erling Haaland, to worry about. Yet, both teams faced a common adversary: the sweltering heat. The temperature soared to 92 degrees Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) during the teams’ warm-ups, and when factoring in humidity, it felt like a staggering 104 F (40 C).
This environment starkly contrasts with the seasonable 72 F (22 C) in London or 59 F (15 C) in Lillehammer at that time of year.
“I think we have trained very lightly,” remarked Norway manager Ståle Solbakken on the eve of the match. “We haven’t done much hard work. We’ve had tactical sessions, but at a lower tempo and have not trained for long periods.”
In essence, rest and hydration took priority for Norway, which had spent much of the week in South Florida to acclimate. Meanwhile, England arrived in the Miami area later in the week.
“Up until now we’ve played in cool conditions, I would say,” acknowledged England defender Nico O’Reilly. “But we’re ready for it.”
This was not England’s first visit to South Florida during its World Cup journey. The team arrived in Palm Beach Gardens—approximately 90 minutes north of Miami Gardens—on June 2 for over a week of training to acclimate to the heat and humidity.
Additionally, England had to adapt to the high temperatures at its Kansas City base camp and cope with Mexico’s altitude to defeat the co-hosts in the round of 16. However, they had not experienced a combination of heat and humidity as intense as what greeted the teams on Saturday.
Gregory expressed sympathy for the players. “It’s hard just sitting and watching it,” she shared, emphasizing the challenges faced by the athletes.
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Gracie Fisher is a student in the University of Georgia’s Carmical Sports Media Institute.
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See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here.
