Public viewing events with thousands in attendance had to be ended. The German commentator downplayed by noting this makes it unforgettable.

Drinks breaks

Two other matches had extra drinks breaks.

Sportstar: In the 28th minute of the France vs Poland clash, the referee stopped the game for a short drinks breaks. This is the first time this has ever happened in Euro 2024. Even in the Netherlands vs Austria clash the referee halted the play and called for a drinks break in the 34th minute of the game.

It is 27 degree Celsius in Dortmund where the France game is taking place whereas 28 degree Celsius in Berlin where the Netherlands game is going on. Under UEFA rules, ‘cooling breaks’ are not permitted until the pitch-side temperature hits 32ºC (90ºF), when a 90-second break is permitted 25 minutes into each half.

Although the temperature is not as high as the rules suggest, this decision could be an exception taking the players well-being into account. FIFA first introduced official water breaks for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil, when play was stopped for three minutes in the 30th and 75th minutes.

Weather warning shuts down Berlin’s Euro 2024 fan zones

Reuters: BERLIN, June 18 (Reuters) – Berlin’s two Euro 2024 fan zones, which attract tens of thousands of guests for public viewing of matches, will be closed on Tuesday due to an extreme weather warning, organisers said.
Germany’s weather service has forecast heavy rain, thunderstorms and hail for the wider area around the capital later in the day.

Extreme Conditions

The temperature at the Munich Football Arena on the 9th of July 2024, during the match Spain vs France – which began at 9 pm was about ~27C, with a real feel of 30C, according to World Weather. And at the beginning of the match you could see fireworks and then the dust hanging inside the stadium for at least 30 minutes.

These conditions for activity can be described as extreme – even for athletes. But you wouldn’t know from listening to the broadcaster, who do not mention high temperatures or the playing conditions at all, unless a match takes one of these rare breaks.

FIFA: Extreme weather conditions may warrant cooling breaks to be implemented during the course of a match in accordance with the protocols established by the FIFA Medical Committee and/or documented in the FIFA Emergency Care Medicine Manual.

Such breaks would be considered on a match-by-match basis based on the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature measured before the match. Responsibility for implementing and controlling cooling breaks resides with the referee

The wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) is a measure of environmental heat as it affects humans. Unlike a simple temperature measurement, WBGT accounts for all four major environmental heat factors: air temperature, humidity, radiant heat (from sunlight or sources such as furnaces), and air movement (wind or ventilation).

Match Cancellations

The question is not if we will see entire match cancellations, scheduled for another day, but when. More extreme weather will likely lead to dates avoiding the summer months entirely.

Related

• Heat-related risk at Paris 2024: a proposal for classification and review of International Federations policies (June 2024)
• Copa America heat-induced incidents show 2026 World Cup risks (June 2024)