Robert Page’s Wales squad has had to reschedule their training sessions because of the extreme heat in Doha
Wales team was supposed to begin their daily practice at 1.30pm local time, ahead of their tournament opener against the United States on Monday. However, mid-afternoon temperatures have been above average at over 30 degrees Celsius, and training will begin at 4pm on Thursday.
‘They’ve done their best to accommodate that (the heat),’ said Page, whose team’s second group game against Iran begins at 1pm local time.
“I visited the stadium where we play our three games, and it is fantastic. They’ve installed air conditioning units all around the pitch, which I could feel from where I was standing”.
“I’m not sure the players will notice it from the middle of the field, and I’m sure our fans won’t notice it from the top of the stands”.
All eight stadiums in Doha that will host World Cup games will be air-conditioned.
Despite being the 22nd World Cup, the 2022 tournament is the first time it has been moved to the winter months.
It was moved to the winter because it would be impractical to play football during Qatar’s summer months, when temperatures can reach more than 40 degrees Celsius.
The match between Wales and the United States will begin at 10 pm local time on Monday (7pm GMT).
They will then face Iran on November 25, followed by a match against Gareth Southgate’s England on November 29.