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Granit Xhaka and Co. have been warned: Saturday is expected to be extremely hot.
Keystone
Heat alert for the Swiss national team’s World Cup opener! In Santa Clara, where Switzerland faces Qatar on Saturday at 12:00 p.m., temperatures are soaring. An advantage for Qatar? Perhaps. But the Swiss national team is prepared.
Saturday is finally here—the Swiss national team kicks off the 2026 World Cup. Good news for fans in Switzerland: While other World Cup matches take place in the middle of the night, the Swiss national team and Qatar face off at 9:00 p.m. Swiss time. The players, however, are likely less enthusiastic about the kickoff time. That’s because in Santa Clara, where the match will be played, the heat is sweltering—and the game kicks off at 12:00 p.m. local time.
Temperatures of up to 35 degrees are expected on Saturday—it’s supposed to feel like nearly 40 degrees. The 90 minutes under the midday California sun could turn into an ordeal. The opponent from the desert nation of Qatar is more accustomed to such temperatures and is likely to have less trouble.
But the Swiss national team has prepared for such a scenario. Last year, Switzerland played friendlies against Mexico in Salt Lake City and against the U.S. in Nashville. To acclimate optimally, the team traveled to the U.S. eleven days before the first match.
Eduardo Parra Garcia, the Nati’s Head of Performance, has developed a strategy specifically for the World Cup to cope with the hot days. Hydration is a central element of the preparation. “In particularly hot locations, we also take this into account during training by scheduling additional water breaks. The players are provided with water as well as isotonic drinks to replenish sodium, potassium, and magnesium, among other things,” says SFV media spokesperson Sergio Affuso in response to a query from blue News.
He added: “During matches as well, several water bottles are provided next to the team bench and near our own goal so that players can hydrate during every brief interruption.” Before and after warm-ups, players can also wear cooling vests in the locker room—as well as during halftime.
Thomas Müller demonstrated what such a cooling vest looks like during the opening match between Mexico and South Africa on “Magenta TV.”
Thomas Müller (center) wearing the cooling vest.
MagentaTV
Players can cool their wrists before and during the game using buckets filled with ice. The neck, head, and chest are also cooled with ice-cold towels. In some World Cup stadiums, there are even team benches where substitutes can benefit from air conditioning.
By the way: At the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, the Swiss national team already experienced such extreme conditions in Manaus, deep in the Amazon jungle. In their final group stage match, they faced Honduras under tropical conditions with high temperatures and extreme humidity. But the Swiss kept their cool and won 3-0 thanks to a Shaqiri hat trick. A good omen, then, for the heated showdown against Qatar.
