As the 2026 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada draws near, England national team midfielder Declan Rice has made headlines for an unexpected pre-tournament mishap: a painful sunburn that left him bright red in official photos, drawing playful teasing from fans online and a stern telling-off from his own mother.\n\nThe Arsenal star, who arrived in North America alongside his teammates several days early to acclimatize to the region’s extreme summer heat, opened up about the viral incident in an interview with the BBC. Looking back at the pre-tournament photoshoot that showed his beetroot-red complexion and obvious watch strap tan line, Rice laughed off the moment, saying, “I think everyone’s seen them photos… I was bright red at that photoshoot, my mum was killing me.” When asked when he finally felt adjusted to the local climate, he joked the turning point was simple: “when the sunburn went”.\n\nExtreme heat has been a top talking point ahead of this World Cup, which kicks off officially on Thursday. The climate challenge is being driven in large part by El Niño, the recurring weather pattern that has already pushed summer temperatures across North America to unexpected highs. In Arlington, Texas, where England will kick off their World Cup campaign against Croatia on June 17, local temperatures hit 36 degrees Celsius this week, with forecasts calling for even more scorching conditions as the tournament unfolds.\n\nThe unstable weather tied to El Niño has also brought erratic conditions beyond just sustained heat. England’s final pre-tournament warm-up match against Costa Rica in Dallas on Wednesday was delayed by severe thunderstorms, a disruption that meteorologists warn could become common throughout the tournament: the intense summer heat generates massive, fast-forming storm systems that can throw match schedules off track.\n\nRice admitted that the sudden shift from England’s variable mild weather to North America’s consistent extreme heat took a major physical toll at first. “Honestly, the first day was tough, just getting used to that heat – when you come from England and it’s hot, cold, all different types of weather,” he explained. “Then you come here and, regardless of whether it’s hot or cold, it’s 30C and it really does hit you in the face when you’re running.”\n\nTo help players cope with the dangerous conditions, FIFA has implemented mandatory hydration breaks at the midpoint of each half of every World Cup match. For the England squad, heat acclimatization has been a core part of their preparation for months, including specialized training sessions in temperature-controlled heated tents in Spain and practice matches in the sweltering heat of Kansas, where the team will remain based throughout the tournament.\n\nEngland manager Thomas Tuchel has been open about the challenge, saying he expects his players to “suffer” in the grueling conditions as they chase the nation’s first World Cup title since their historic 1966 win. The heat challenge is not limited to U.S. host cities, either: co-hosts Mexico and Canada have also recorded temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius in recent days, meaning teams across all groups will have to adapt to the extreme climate to perform at their best.