The heat factor

[YUJAM]

Will this be a factor in the tournament? Thoughts?

I think it could very well be. I see some Euro and S American teams struggling to maintain their stamina in this weather.

[gosh]

Good point. Heat could well be a factor.
The question will be whether Autumn/Winter temperatures and humidity in Qatar will generally be higher than the ones people experience during non-Qatar WC hostings in the Summer. If that is a problem I think we will likely see more water breaks introduced.

[iworo]

Will this be a factor in the tournament? Thoughts?

I think it could very well be. I see some Euro and S American teams struggling to maintain their stamina in this weather.

Not really. Majority of the stadia has state-of-the-art cooling technology. Each stadium is cooled to a comfortable temperature of around 20 degrees, with spot cooling.

[Bigpokey24]

90% of the players in Qatar all play in Europe. It will be a level playing field. The only issue could be the air temperature..hopefully the cooling system will help out

[Orion]

Yes. South Americans have done better in World Cups held in warmer climates. I know most of their players currently play in Europe, but most grew up in South America and can more easily acclimate to the heat as the competition progresses.

I expect a South American team to get to the final, but a very good European side that peaked just at the right time could still potentially beat them, as we saw in Brazil.