Niko Kovac calls for FIFA to push back start times for 2026 World Cup games

Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovac has called on FIFA to prioritize the welfare of players at the World Cup in 2026 by making kickoff times later than they have been during the Club World Cup in the United States — while also criticizing the quality of the pitch at World Cup final host venue MetLife Stadium.

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Kovac was magnanimous as his team lost 3-2 against Real Madrid in the quarterfinal of the Club World Cup on Saturday, conceding that the better team won the game, but also made important reflections about the conditions his players have endured during this tournament.

Dortmund was scheduled for a lunchtime and an afternoon kickoff in Cincinnati during the group stage, where the recorded temperatures approached 100F, while temperatures for the Real Madrid clash in New Jersey were a little kinder but still hot at pitch level.

“The tournament needs some adaptations in some areas,” Kovac said. “One important point, in my opinion, is the start time of the match. The players should not have to work in the midday sun when it is (so hot) you should not even leave your house. In these conditions, these players had to bring their top performance. We will see next year (how they do it) in the World Cup. We really have to consider the players.

“We played two times in Cincinnati — the first time at 12 p.m. and the second time at 3 p.m. We had temperatures on the pitch that were around 45 C (113 F). So you can imagine, when you are running, it’s not amazing. Today it was 35 C (95 F) — not much better. I would suggest later kick off times. As a supporter, you want to see exciting, up-and-down football. When it is too hot, it is hard to play this football.”

Kovac also had frustrations over the quality of the playing surface at MetLife, which he said was not up to the standard of other pitches in the competition or the quality his players are accustomed to in Germany. He even joked that the grass was of the kind of length you would get on a golf putting green.

He said: “I can compare this pitch with two pitches in Cincinnati and Atlanta. The grass quality is different than the other stadiums. You can putt here. It’s very short. This is not the (type of) grass we are used to playing in the Bundesliga. The watering wasn’t good enough. Overall, for high speed football, you need the right weather conditions but also when (the pitch) is too dry … it’s unbelievable, it’s sticking, I can’t explain it. If you go out and test it, you will see.”

Niko Kovac’s Borussia Dortmund exited the tournament, despite Serhou Guirassy’s late penalty. (Luke Hales / Getty Images)

During the first match at MetLife in the tournament, the head coaches of both FC Porto and Palmeiras, as well as the Brazilian forward Estevao, criticized the turf following the draw between the two teams.

MetLife Stadium is hosting eight Club World Cup matches this summer, including both semifinals and the final, before hosting the men’s World Cup final next summer in a tournament which the United States, Canada and Mexico will co-host.

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After the Porto-Palmeiras game, Estevao said: “I think the pitch should have been watered a little more as the ball was a little slow which interferes with the pace of the game. It was both for ourselves and for Porto. As the game went on, it rained which made it roll a bit faster.”

The stadium, shared by the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, usually has a synthetic turf but the FIFA competitions this year and next summer require natural grass.

Abel Ferreira, the Palmeiras coach, said: “In the beginning, the pitch was dry. I don’t know who is the patron saint for rain but after it rained it then enabled us to play our game.”

(Top photo: Carl Recine / FIFA / FIFA via Getty Images)

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