Sunshine and Saharan Dust Make Miami’s World Cup Quarter-Final a Dangerous Game for England vs. Norway

阳光与撒哈拉沙尘：迈阿密世界杯四分之一决赛对英格兰与挪威而言是一场危险的比赛

For Norway’s national men’s soccer team, Saturday’s World Cup quarter-final against England will be a first in more ways than one. As the Scandinavian side prepares for the biggest match of its history, it will also face conditions almost unimaginable back home: the punishing combination of South Florida heat, humidity, and blazing sunshine that scientists warn can push the human body to its limits.

对于挪威国家男子足球队来说，周六对阵英格兰的世界杯四分之一决赛在多方面都将是“第一次”。当这支斯堪的纳维亚球队准备迎接其历史上最重要的比赛时，他们也将面临在家乡几乎无法想象的恶劣条件：南佛罗里达州酷热、潮湿和烈日交织的严酷环境，科学家警告称，这种组合会将人体推向极限。

South Florida’s mix of strong sun, hot-air temperature, and high humidity—boosted by a plume of dusty air from the Sahara desert sweeping across the Atlantic through the state—will put the northern European players under a level of heat stress rarely experienced in their native countries.

南佛罗里达州强烈的阳光、高温和高湿度——再加上从撒哈拉沙漠横跨大西洋席卷该州的沙尘气流——将使这些北欧球员承受在他们本国极少经历的热应激水平。

Scientists quantify this heat stress by calculating the wet-bulb globe temperature. On top of air temperature, the index takes into account humidity, which limits evaporation of sweat from the skin; wind, which can act as a coolant; and solar intensity, as sunshine directly raises individuals’ skin and core temperatures.

科学家通过计算“湿球黑球温度”（WBGT）来量化这种热应激。除了气温外，该指数还考虑了湿度（限制皮肤汗液蒸发）、风速（起到冷却作用）以及太阳强度（阳光会直接升高个人的皮肤和核心温度）。

Saturday’s match is forecast to be played at an extremely high WBGT of around 88 degrees Fahrenheit (31 degrees Celsius). The American College of Sports Medicine recommends that athletic activities cease when this measure exceeds 82 degrees Fahrenheit, because at this level, humans struggle to cool down, and body temperature starts to increase rapidly. FIFA itself stipulates that if the WGBT exceeds 90 degrees Fahrenheit, players and referees need to take breaks after 30 and 75 minutes of play to cool themselves down with ice-water-soaked towels.

据预测，周六比赛时的 WBGT 将高达 88 华氏度（约 31 摄氏度）。美国运动医学会建议，当该指数超过 82 华氏度时应停止体育活动，因为在此水平下，人体难以散热，体温会迅速升高。国际足联（FIFA）本身也规定，如果 WBGT 超过 90 华氏度，球员和裁判需要在比赛进行到 30 分钟和 75 分钟时休息，用冰水浸泡过的毛巾降温。

While both teams will have been training to adapt to the environment, the conditions could make for a more sluggish match, according to Matt Maley, a researcher in environmental ergonomics and physiology at Loughborough University in the UK. He told WIRED: “At Miami this weekend, we may actually see players reduce the amount of sprints or the distance they cover.” That would be a far cry from the fast-paced Premier League and energetic Eliteserien games English and Norwegian soccer fans are used to watching.

英国拉夫堡大学环境人体工程学与生理学研究员马特·马利（Matt Maley）表示，尽管两支球队都在进行适应性训练，但这些条件可能会导致比赛节奏变得迟缓。他告诉《连线》（WIRED）杂志：“本周末在迈阿密，我们可能会看到球员减少冲刺次数或跑动距离。”这与英格兰和挪威球迷习惯观看的快节奏英超联赛和充满活力的挪威足球超级联赛（Eliteserien）大相径庭。

But the real danger is ambition, says Maley. “Motivation does sometimes supersede what the body’s telling the brain, so that’s when we get to the danger area, because people are that motivated to run the same distance, conduct the same amount of sprints, and they could expose themselves to heat exhaustion.”

但马利认为，真正的危险在于雄心。“动力有时会凌驾于身体向大脑发出的信号之上，这就是我们进入危险区域的时候，因为人们为了跑动同样的距离、进行同样次数的冲刺而过度激励自己，这可能会让他们面临中暑的风险。”

Miami, among other American locales, has been getting hotter in recent years, as concrete and greenhouse gases released through burning fossil fuels trap heat.

近年来，迈阿密和其他美国地区的气温一直在升高，因为混凝土以及燃烧化石燃料释放的温室气体锁住了热量。

A coalition of scientists across five continents warned FIFA and World Cup participants in May about the increasing medical risks of heat stress. “We are concerned that FIFA’s current guidelines on heat-stress mitigation are inadequate and will place players at risk of heat injury at the 2026 men’s World Cup,” they wrote in an open letter, noting the three-minute hydration breaks are too short for the players to rehydrate and cool. They recommended the hydration breaks be doubled in length and that any match set to take place with a WBGT of 82 degrees Fahrenheit be postponed.

今年 5 月，一个由五大洲科学家组成的联盟向国际足联和世界杯参赛者发出警告，指出了热应激日益严重的医疗风险。他们在公开信中写道：“我们担心国际足联目前关于缓解热应激的指导方针是不够的，这将使球员在 2026 年男足世界杯上面临热损伤的风险。”他们指出，三分钟的补水时间对于球员补水和降温来说太短了。他们建议将补水时间延长一倍，并将任何在 WBGT 达到 82 华氏度时进行的比赛推迟。

Fans also face dangers, including heat exhaustion, dehydration, and heat stroke from the stadium’s high-heat stress levels, scientists from the New Weather Institute cautioned in a report, adding that older supporters and those with pre-existing health conditions are particularly at risk. They warned: “The 2026 World Cup’s heat stress crisis threatens to transform what should be football’s greatest celebration into a public health emergency.”

新天气研究所（New Weather Institute）的科学家在一份报告中警告称，球迷们也面临着危险，包括因体育场内高热应激水平而导致的中暑、脱水和热射病，并补充说，年长的支持者和患有既往疾病的人群尤其处于危险之中。他们警告说：“2026 年世界杯的热应激危机，可能会将本应是足球界最盛大的庆典变成一场公共卫生紧急事件。”