In the build-up to France vs Paraguay at the 2026 World Cup, much was made of the unprecedented heatwave conditions that both teams would be subjected to.
Unprecedented at this North America edition, that is, despite various sides having been forced to endure some of the hottest weather ever, at any World Cup tournament.
France vs Paraguay exceeded 100 degrees Fahrenheit, but was it the hottest match in World Cup history?
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No, France vs Paraguay is not the hottest World Cup match in history.
Two sides, shockingly, had it worse, during the 1994 tournament, also held in the United States.
The weather at the 2026 World Cup has been brutally bipolar, with some teams playing in near Death Valley scorchers, to others enduring rain and thunderstorm delays.
Didier Deschamps’ men have now fought valiantly through both, but two teams at the USA 1994 World Cup tournament battled in conditions that are virtually inhumane.
Mexico and Ireland faced off over 30 years now in the United States, with the former prevailing 2-1, in temperatures exceeding 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
Anything above 90-100 degrees Fahrenheit comes with medical guidance to even the fittest of athletes to avoid outdoor activity.
In such conditions, the advice is for those professionals to exercise indoors at any and all costs, as the heat can put one’s health in serious peril.
For British readers, Mexico and Ireland played in 43 degree weather, with more than 100 supporters in the crowd passing out from the heat, according to reports at the time.
For the players on the pitch, Ireland international Jason McAteer described his team as “melting” whilst playing, singling out Steve Staunton and Tommy Coyne among those most affected.
Sports science and hydration breaks were sorely lacking or simply not a thing back then, leading to inadequate efforts from the Irish squad to acclimatise and cope.
McAteer recalled that the extent of their preparation for the American heat was cold flannels, water poured over the head, and Dioralyte salt supplements.
Bizarrely, shockingly, disturbingly, take your pick, FIFA had banned players from consuming bottled water mid-game during the 1994 tournament.
After mass outrage, the governing body performed a U-turn and allowed water balloons to be thrown onto the pitch, giving players the opportunity to hydrate.
McAteer said: “Jack [Charlton] was saying before the Mexico game that someone could die without getting a drink of water, but [initially] no one listened to him.
“It looks like a dinosaur age in comparison to now, but it wasn’t that long ago. It was ridiculous, nuts… we couldn’t cope.”
Charlton, Ireland’s manager at the time, was correct: Coyne was taken for a drugs test post-match and was so dehydrated that he, in effect, drowned his own body to urinate.
After drinking a ludicrous volume of water, he boarded a flight and experienced fluid-pressure build-up, causing the pilot to have to drop altitude.
“He basically flooded his body,” McAteer revealed. “When we flew back to New York he took a really bad turn… that was a real health risk for him.”
The 2026 World Cup decision might have been made with American advertising in mind, but thank God for hydration breaks, eh?
