The World Cup is exposing the complex and often competing demands of modern stadium design, according to SimScale and Thornton Tomasetti
The 2026 World Cup is exposing the engineering challenges behind modern stadium design. As more than a third of matches are expected to be played in potentially dangerous hot and humid conditions, architects and engineers are having to balance competing priorities: reducing heat for players and spectators, maximising natural light and ventilation, and preserving the playing conditions required for elite football.
Most games are taking place in roofed stadiums, which pose issues
These venues are typically air-conditioned, with roof structures designed to shield players and spectators from direct sunlight. However, cooling systems are often optimised for spectator areas, meaning players on the pitch may experience less benefit.
The conditions for players can be made worse than if they were playing outside, says Jeroen Janssen, director of Thornton Tomasetti. He said: “We saw this in Qatar 2022 – 120,000 vents beneath the seats across seven venues kept spectators comfortable, but it didn’t provide the same conditions on the pitch for the players.”
Other issues with using a roofed stadium include caring for the pitch, as limited natural light means artificial lighting needs to include grow lamps to keep the grass from dying.
Other complexities arise when stadiums need to be multi-use to maintain profitability. Jeroen continues: “The grass grows best in an open stadium. The fans are most comfortable in an enclosed one. The commercial operator needs something else entirely. You cannot fully optimize for all three – every design is a negotiated compromise.
“Older stadiums, such as the Gelredome in the Netherlands, were rolling the entire pitch outside of the stadium, while Amsterdam Arena had the pitch in removable trays, and then later got rid of them.
“New ones, such as Tottenham Hotspur’s newly-built stadium has a pitch that moves under the seating tier in six large pieces. Real Madrid’s refurbished stadium also has a moving pitch, but this one retracts into the basement in eight vertically stacked layers, which is fully climatised with temperature, humidity and light highly regulated. Both have major implications on the design of the stadium.”
Using digital construction methods, including Artificial Intelligence, simualation/BIM, computational fluid dynamics (CFD), and cloud computing, can help developers and designers to ensure all needs are met, and safety does not have to compromise quality.
The heat wave is also exposing vulnerability in electricity supply
Last week, the NESO briefly warned that the country came dangerously close to running out of electricity as strain was put on the system by people watching the world cup and the heat wave, as well as a day of low wind-activity meaning wind power generation was severely limited, prompting Aggreko to warn that construction site managers should review their site energy supply to prevent similar issues.
The NESO had to purchase electricity from outside of the country as a result.
Tom Adlington, sector sales manager for building services and construction at Aggreko, said: “We’ve seen how soaring fuel prices have impacted the operational budgets of construction sites in recent months. This level of heat adds another layer of complexity by increasing the potential for reliance on back-up power strategies, which are often diesel-led.
“Integrating BESS into the on-site energy mix can reduce dependence on diesel, gain greater control over energy spend and avoid downtime due to high temperatures. Using them alongside Stage V generators running on hydrotreated vegetable oil also offers a route to energy-efficient emission reduction, helping the sector in its decarbonisation efforts in the process.”
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