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Report nowFor Switzerland, the World Cup opener will be a hot battle in the truest sense of the word. In Santa Clara, the Swiss national team will face Qatar in temperatures exceeding 30 degrees. But Granit Xhaka is keeping a cool head ahead of the match.
Temperatures of 35 degrees are forecast for Saturday at the San Francisco Bay Area Stadium in Santa Clara. The midday sun is likely to make the 90 minutes of Switzerland’s first World Cup match a real challenge. Opponent Qatar could gain an advantage from this. In the desert nation, such conditions are part of everyday life.
But Granit Xhaka is keeping a cool head. “It will be a bit warmer than at the training camp in San Diego, but we don’t want to make excuses,” the Nati captain said at the press conference just under 17 hours before the match. “There will be water breaks, and we also have cooling vests in the locker room. We’ve prepared well; we can’t control the temperatures, so we just have to deliver our best performance.”
Switzerland has specifically prepared for the hot temperatures. The national team traveled to the U.S. eleven days before the first match and gained experience last year during friendly matches under similar conditions.
Eduardo Parra Garcia, the national team’s Head of Performance, developed special heat management measures for the World Cup. The focus is on additional water breaks, water and isotonic drinks, as well as various cooling methods. Players can wear cooling vests, cool off with ice on their wrists, or use cold towels on their necks, heads, and chests. In some stadiums, even the substitutes benefit from air-conditioned team benches.
There will also be water breaks in the middle of each half, though this isn’t always an advantage, as Murat Yakin explains: “In the friendly against Australia, we were on a roll before that ‘cooling break’ came. After that, we didn’t get back into the game as well. When you’re in a rhythm and the ball is moving, you don’t want the game to be interrupted,” says the national team coach. “But when it’s 32 degrees, we’re also glad to have a chance to drink something in between. Even I, as the coach.”
In any case, the temperatures shouldn’t be a downer on Saturday. “Especially the young players, who are experiencing a World Cup match for the first time, should enjoy the moment,” says Xhaka. “We want to go out on the field and put on a good performance. For ourselves and for all of Switzerland. Tomorrow we can already take a big step forward. We’re hungrier than ever!”
