English football has a reputation for being played in rain and cold, and most of it is. But the season now starts in the warmth of August, tournaments are played in hot countries, and clubs travel to warm climates for pre-season. Weather has a measurable effect on how football is played, and heat has the biggest effect of all.
The science behind it explains a great deal about why some matches feel slow, why some teams tire early, and why the kit players wear matters more than it looks.
What does heat do to a player’s body?
It forces the body to do two jobs at once, and it cannot do both perfectly.
When a player runs, his muscles produce a great deal of heat. The body gets rid of that heat mainly by sweating, and by sending more blood to the skin where it can cool. The trouble is that the muscles also need that blood to keep working. In hot conditions the body is asked to cool itself and fuel the muscles at the same time, and it has to split its resources between the two.
The result is that the heart works harder for the same effort, core temperature rises, and fatigue arrives sooner. A player who can sprint repeatedly on a cool evening will find that same effort noticeably harder on a hot afternoon.
Why do matches slow down in the heat?
Because players, often without realising it, pace themselves.
Studies of football in hot conditions generally find that players cover less distance at high speed than they would in cooler weather. The body seems to regulate effort in advance, reducing the amount of intense running to stop core temperature climbing to dangerous levels. Players do not decide to slow down. They simply find they cannot keep up the same tempo.
This changes the character of a match. There is less pressing, more passing in front of the opposition, and longer spells where neither side forces the pace. Teams that rely on intense pressing suffer most, because the thing they are best at becomes the hardest thing to sustain.
How dangerous is dehydration?
Dehydration makes everything above worse, and it happens quickly in the heat.
A player can lose a significant amount of fluid through sweat during a hot match. As fluid is lost, the blood volume available to both the muscles and the skin falls, which means the body struggles more to cool itself and to keep performing. Even modest dehydration is associated with poorer performance and with worse decision-making.
This is why drinks breaks have been introduced in very hot conditions at some competitions. They are not a luxury. They are a sensible response to a real risk, and they give players a chance to take on fluid in a sport where the ball is otherwise rarely out of play for long.
Does the kit really make a difference?
It does, and this is where the design of modern shirts earns its keep.
A shirt that traps heat against the skin makes the cooling problem harder. A shirt that moves sweat away and lets air through helps the body shed heat more efficiently. This is why modern football shirts are made from light polyester knits with more open, ventilated areas across the back and under the arms, where the body produces the most heat.
Colour plays a smaller part too. Lighter colours reflect more sunlight than darker ones, which can matter slightly in direct sun, though the ventilation and weight of the fabric matter far more than the colour.
What about the cold?
Cold brings a different set of problems, and they mostly affect the muscles.
Cold muscles are less supple and slower to respond, which is why warm-ups in winter are longer and more thorough. A player who goes into a sprint on cold muscles is at higher risk of a strain. This is also why substitutes warm up so carefully before coming on in winter matches, since they have been sitting still in the cold.
Players adapt with long-sleeved shirts, base layers and, increasingly, gloves and snoods. None of it is about comfort alone. Keeping the muscles warm is part of keeping them injury-free.
How do wind and rain change tactics?
More than the other two, in some ways, because they change how the ball behaves.
A strong wind makes long passes and crosses unpredictable, so teams often keep the ball on the ground and play shorter passes. The side playing with the wind behind them will often try to put pressure on early, while the side playing into it tends to be more patient. Goalkeepers struggle with high balls in gusts, which is one reason set pieces become more dangerous on windy days.
Rain speeds the ball up on the surface and makes it skid, which rewards quick passing along the ground and punishes defenders who misjudge the bounce. A wet ball is also harder for goalkeepers to hold, and more shots get spilled for rebounds.
What about playing at altitude?
Altitude is the other weather-related factor that changes football, and it works differently from heat.
At high altitude the air is thinner, so each breath delivers less oxygen to the muscles. Players tire faster, recover more slowly between sprints and feel short of breath doing work that would be easy at sea level. Visiting teams from lower ground often struggle, which is why some countries that play at altitude have such strong home records.
The ball behaves differently too. Thinner air means less drag, so shots and long passes travel faster and further than players expect, which takes some adjusting to.
Why do some teams handle conditions better?
Preparation, and sometimes experience.
Teams that train in similar conditions before a hot match adapt better, since the body gradually becomes more efficient at sweating and cooling over a period of acclimatisation. Squads used to a particular climate have an advantage over visitors who are not. And managers who adjust their tactics to the weather, rather than trying to play the same way regardless, tend to get better results.
Heat and fatigue are closely linked, and our piece on how fixture congestion affects player fatigue covers what happens when a busy schedule meets hard conditions. For the design side, our look at how Arsenal’s modern shirts are constructed shows how ventilation is built into a shirt.
The takeaway
Weather is not an excuse. It is a genuine factor that changes how the body performs and how the game is played. Heat slows matches down and tires players sooner. Cold raises the risk of muscle injuries. Wind and rain change what kind of football works.
The teams that respect those effects and prepare for them tend to come out on top, whatever the forecast.
Frequently asked questions
Why do footballers get tired faster in hot weather?
In heat, the body has to send blood to the skin for cooling while the muscles also need it to keep working. The heart works harder for the same effort, core temperature rises and fatigue arrives sooner.
Do football shirts help in hot weather?
Yes. Modern shirts use light, ventilated polyester that moves sweat away from the skin and lets air through, helping the body shed heat more efficiently than heavier fabrics.
Why are warm-ups longer in winter?
Cold muscles are less supple and slower to respond, which raises the risk of strains. Longer warm-ups raise muscle temperature before players make sudden sprints and changes of direction.