Why FIFA gave up on postponing the Brazil x Norway World Cup schedule

FIFA has given up on changing the time of the match between Brazil and Norway in the round of 16 of the 2026 World Cup. As a result, this Sunday's clash (5) remains scheduled for 5pm (Brasília time), at the MetLife Stadium, in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The change was studied by the entity because of a chain effect involving the duel between Mexico and England, scheduled for 9pm (Brasília time), in Mexico City.

The impasse began after forecasts of storms, with the possibility of lightning, for the Mexican capital. Given this scenario, British broadcasters suggested bringing the start of the match forward to noon local time (3pm Brasília time), seeking to reduce the risk of interruptions during the broadcast.

If this happened, FIFA would have to reorganize the entire schedule for the day. The entity prevents knockout games from being played simultaneously, mainly to preserve the international broadcast schedule. As a possible extra time or penalty shootout between Mexico and England could coincide with Brazil x Norway, the plan was to push the Brazilian team's game to 6pm.

The proposal, however, did not move forward. FIFA did not reach consensus among the parties involved. The coach of the Mexican national team, Javier Aguirre, and representatives of the English Federation took a stand against the possibility of playing in the strong heat of the early afternoon in Mexico City. Without agreement between the teams and in the face of resistance from the entity's own competitions department, the change was discarded.

In recent days, speculation suggested that the possible postponement of Brazil x Norway would be related to the high temperatures in New Jersey. Although the heat is a cause for concern for the organization and the teams, this was not the main factor that led FIFA to consider a change in the schedule.

According to AccuWeather, a North American company specialized in meteorology, the temperature at departure time should be around 34°C, but the thermal sensation can reach 39°C due to the combination of heat and humidity. Even in shaded areas, the sensation should remain close to 37°C. The forecast also indicates humidity of around 59%, the possibility of isolated rain showers and winds of around 13 km/h. The New York region is expected to experience one of the hottest weeks since 2013.

The technical committee of the Brazilian team had already prepared a specific protocol to face the weather conditions. Among the measures planned are the use of thermal vests with ice ("ice vests"), cooled towels during breaks in the match and a reinforced hydration and mineral salt replacement plan.

Even before the start of the World Cup, players underwent sweat tests to identify individual loss of electrolytes during physical exertion. Based on the results, the medical committee developed personalized hydration strategies for each athlete. According to the CBF, all of these actions were already planned since the planning for the World Cup and were not implemented due to the forecast for the duel against Norway.

With FIFA's decision, the round of 16 schedule remains unchanged. Brazil and Norway take the field at 5pm (Brasília time), while Mexico and England face each other at 9pm, as predicted in the tournament's official table.

Without Germany, Brazil remains at the top of the list of World Cup champions

Source: CNN