[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"header-nav":3,"footer-nav":29,"article-heat-will-sort-world-cup-winners-losers":82,"category-counts-nav":94,"related-heat-will-sort-world-cup-winners-losers":105},[4,8,11,14,17,20,23,26],{"label":5,"to":6,"exact":7},"Home","\u002F",true,{"label":9,"to":10},"World Cup","\u002Fworldcup",{"label":12,"to":13},"Standings","\u002Fstandings",{"label":15,"to":16},"Football","\u002Fcategory\u002Ffootball",{"label":18,"to":19},"Basketball","\u002Fcategory\u002Fbasketball",{"label":21,"to":22},"Tennis","\u002Fcategory\u002Ftennis",{"label":24,"to":25},"F1","\u002Fcategory\u002Ff1",{"label":27,"to":28},"Long Reads","\u002Fcategory\u002Flong-reads",{"brand":30,"columns":32,"tagline":80,"copyright":81},{"description":31},"In-depth sports journalism covering football, basketball, tennis, F1, and beyond. Daily analysis, long reads, and expert opinion.",[33,51,59],{"heading":34,"links":35},"Leagues",[36,39,42,45,48],{"label":37,"to":38},"Premier League","\u002Ftag\u002Fpremier-league",{"label":40,"to":41},"La Liga","\u002Ftag\u002Fla-liga",{"label":43,"to":44},"NBA","\u002Ftag\u002Fnba",{"label":46,"to":47},"Formula 1","\u002Ftag\u002Fformula-1",{"label":49,"to":50},"Champions League","\u002Ftag\u002Fchampions-league",{"heading":52,"links":53},"Content",[54,56,57],{"label":55,"to":16},"Analysis",{"label":27,"to":28},{"label":58,"to":16},"Data & Stats",{"heading":60,"links":61},"Company",[62,65,68,71,74,77],{"label":63,"to":64},"Terms of Service","\u002Fservice",{"label":66,"to":67},"Privacy Policy","\u002Fprivacy",{"label":69,"to":70},"Editorial Policy","\u002Feditorial",{"label":72,"to":73},"Contact Us","\u002Fcontact",{"label":75,"to":76},"About Us","\u002Fabout",{"label":78,"to":79},"Website Disclaimer","\u002Fdisclaimer","Built for the love of sport","© SportPulse. All rights reserved.",{"title":83,"slug":84,"category":15,"badge":85,"author":86,"excerpt":87,"date":88,"readTime":89,"image":90,"imageAlt":83,"tags":91,"body":92,"_path":93},"How Heat Will Separate World Cup Contenders from Pretenders","heat-will-sort-world-cup-winners-losers","Feature","Alex Mason","Brutal temperatures demand quick starts, possession control, and deep benches to survive the tournament's worst conditions.","2026-06-10","2 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fi.guim.co.uk\u002Fimg\u002Fmedia\u002F7f85f747cc8d65b20c7cae5fad54647f54d782db\u002F1255_483_3557_2846\u002Fmaster\u002F3557.jpg?width=140&quality=85&auto=format&fit=max&s=c908eb95fd32f43239701685142b3012",[9],"## The Enemy Within\n\nGraeme Souness, the **midfield titan** for Liverpool and Scotland, never met a physical equal on the pitch. Not a single human opponent, anyway. But in the **stifling heat and high altitude** of Querétaro during the 1986 World Cup, he met his match. The conditions left him **gasping for air** and **shedding a stone (6.35kg)** in one match against West Germany.\n\n> “I can remember going down on my haunches and thinking: ‘God, do I not feel good.’ It was the worst I ever felt on a football pitch. I couldn’t breathe.”\n\nThat visceral reality awaits at the 2026 World Cup, where venues will test every squad’s tolerance for **extreme heat and humidity**. The tournament will not just be won by the most skilled, but by those who best manage the elements.\n\n## The Survival Blueprint\n\nTeams that adapt quickly to the conditions will hold a decisive edge. Three tactical pillars will define the contenders.\n\n### Fast Starts\n\nScoring early in grueling heat forces opponents to expend energy chasing the game. A **strike inside the first 15 minutes** can mentally and physically break a side already struggling to breathe.\n\n### Possession as Defense\n\nKeeping the ball isn’t just about control—it’s survival. **Relentless passing sequences** reduce your own running distance and sap the opponent’s morale under a relentless sun.\n\n### Depth Beyond the XI\n\nThe bench becomes a weapon. **Five substitutes** allow fresher legs to maintain intensity after the 60-minute mark, when cramping and exhaustion bite hardest. Squads with **game-changers in reserve** will thrive; those relying on 14 tired bodies will collapse.\n\n## A Cautionary Tale\n\nSouness lost a career-shaping battle to the heat. Modern players are fitter and sports science has evolved, but **human physiology has its limits**. The 2026 champions will be the team that respects those limits and strategies around them, not the one that simply runs hardest.\n\nThe World Cup trophy may well be lifted by the squad that best understood an old truth: football’s fiercest opponent is sometimes the air itself.","\u002Farticles\u002Fheat-will-sort-world-cup-winners-losers",[95,96,97,98,99,100,101,102,103,104],"analysis","basketball","cricket","f1","football","general","golf","mma","long-reads","tennis",[106,117,127],{"id":107,"stem":107,"path":108,"title":109,"category":15,"badge":55,"badgeType":110,"author":111,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":113,"date":114,"readTime":89,"image":115,"imageAlt":109,"tags":37,"excerpt":116},"liverpool-turn-to-iraola-after-slot-sacking","\u002Farticles\u002Fliverpool-turn-to-iraola-after-slot-sacking","Liverpool Turn to Iraola After Slot Sacking","category","David Cartlidge","SportPulse Contributor","DC","2026-06-09","https:\u002F\u002Fimages.unsplash.com\u002Fphoto-1574629810360-7efbbe195018?auto=format&fit=crop&w=1920&q=80","Liverpool agree verbal deal with Bournemouth's Andoni Iraola to replace sacked Arne Slot.",{"id":118,"stem":118,"path":119,"title":120,"category":15,"badge":85,"badgeType":110,"author":121,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":122,"date":123,"readTime":124,"image":125,"imageAlt":120,"tags":9,"excerpt":126},"bbc-sport-launches-world-cup-predictor-game","\u002Farticles\u002Fbbc-sport-launches-world-cup-predictor-game","BBC Sport Drops New World Cup Predictor Game","Marcus Delvecchio","MD","2026-06-18","1 min read","https:\u002F\u002Fichef.bbci.co.uk\u002Face\u002Fstandard\u002F976\u002Fcpsprodpb\u002F1890\u002Flive\u002Fdaffe870-5f51-11f1-89a3-d1f559421220.jpg","BBC Sport launches its World Cup predictor game, offering fans the chance to win signed football merchandise.",{"id":128,"stem":128,"path":129,"title":130,"category":15,"badge":131,"badgeType":132,"author":133,"authorRole":112,"authorInitials":134,"date":114,"readTime":124,"image":115,"imageAlt":130,"tags":135,"excerpt":136},"hammers-relegated-final-day-victory-leeds","\u002Farticles\u002Fhammers-relegated-final-day-victory-leeds","Hammers Relegated Despite Final-Day Victory Over Leeds","Match Report","tag","Tommy Holt","TH","Premier League, Championship","Despite beating Leeds on the final day, West Ham are relegated from the Premier League after 14 years."]