Smog May Slow World Cup Play as Pollution Threatens Player Performance
Jerusalem, 11 June, 2026 (TPS-IL) -- (PAP) – Smog may be one of the factors affecting soccer players’ performance during the FIFA World Cup, which begins on Thursday in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Research from Poland and Asia indicates that polluted air can reduce players’ performance, slow the pace of play, and increase the number of errors made on the pitch.
The first of three opening ceremonies of the FIFA World Cup will take place in Mexico on Thursday before the match between the national team and South Africa.
Some of this year’s World Cup matches will be played in cities that struggle with so-called photochemical smog during the summer, the main component of which is toxic ozone. Unlike winter smog, which is primarily associated with the heating season, it is formed on hot, cloudless days as a result of components in car exhaust reacting with solar radiation.
This phenomenon occurs primarily in places with heavy traffic, high temperatures, and intense sunlight, such as Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Los Angeles, where this year’s World Cup matches will be played. Experts believe its impact on players during the World Cup could be significant — even more so than in European leagues.
“During the upcoming World Cup in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, we will once again observe the negative impact of air pollution on soccer players’ bodily functions. Moreover, this effect may be more visible than in my previous research conducted on the German Bundesliga or the Polish Ekstraklasa,” said Dr. Michał Zacharko from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at the University of Physical Education in Wrocław in a statement sent to PAP.
He explained, this is due, among other things, to the wide climatic variations in North America and the varying altitudes of stadiums. These factors, combined with poorer air quality, can lead to faster player fatigue, reduced game intensity, and difficulty maintaining a high match pace.
During the 2019/2020 season, Dr. Zacharko and his colleagues conducted a study of Polish Ekstraklasa football players. First, the researchers divided the country into three regions: northern, central, and southern. They then compared air quality data in these regions with information on the match activity of 362 players, including distance covered and high-speed runs.
It turned out that players playing in southern Poland, where pollution is typically higher, ran less and slower than their counterparts in the north. Based on this, the authors concluded that even short-term exposure to more polluted environments can reduce the performance of professional footballers.
Similar correlations were observed in China. A study published in 2024 in the journal Scientific Reports, analyzing data from 632 league matches played between 2014 and 2016, showed that as pollution levels increased, the number of passes players completed decreased and the number of fouls they committed increased.
Scientists calculated that a significant deterioration in air quality (e.g., from good to moderate) was associated with a 2.5 percent decrease in the number of passes and a 5.1 percent increase in the number of fouls.
The authors of the Chinese study also noted that the effects of short-term exposure to polluted air were particularly visible in visiting teams.
These conclusions were confirmed by a review of research on the effects of air pollution on footballers published in 2025. It concluded that smog —specifically, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and ozone—can lead to decreased performance, fewer sprints and high-intensity efforts, and a deterioration in technical accuracy and decision-making.
The reviewed studies reported, among other things, a decrease in sprinting, slower reactions, poorer passing accuracy, and reduced agility. Air pollution was also associated with a faster onset of fatigue, more difficult recovery, increased heart rate and blood pressure, and changes in blood parameters responsible for oxygen transport.
The creators of the social campaign Your Dose of Smog are also addressing the issue of the impact of air quality on physical activity . They point out that during this year’s World Cup, the Mexican cities of Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara will be particularly exposed to photochemical smog .
Worse air quality can also be expected in Los Angeles and parts of southern US cities such as Houston, Dallas and Atlanta.
In the case of Toronto, air pollution may be caused by smoke from nearby forest fires, which — unlike pollution produced during hot weather and heavy traffic — is more difficult to predict.
