Conditions at this summer’s World Cup have been a major talking point ever since the three host nations were revealed.
For England fans, in particular, that was pushed to the nth degree ahead of the visit to Mexico for their scintillating 3-2 victory over El Tri in the round of 16. We’re sure you noticed.
The question is: do England actually have an advantage over Norway on that front when they meet at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium in the quarter-finals on Saturday?
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Is the Florida weather really an advantage for England?
England trained in Florida in the build up to the World Cup, as well as beating New Zealand and Costa Rica in friendlies in Tampa and Orlando respectively.
Norway, meanwhile, have played most of their games in the north-eastern United States.
Haaland and co have been at Boston’s Gillette Stadium twice and New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium twice, with a visit to the air conditioned AT&T Stadium in Dallas for their round of 32 victory over Ivory Coast the only exception.
That may mean there is an argument that England should be better acclimated to the stifling heat and humidity that can descend on America’s panhandle.
That could prove to be less of a difference than fans of the Three Lions might hope, however.
For starters, a lot of the reason Estadio Azteca was regarded as so intimidating was less because of the heat or humidity, and more that plus altitude and Mexico’s home advantage.
Secondly…Norway’s training camp for the tournament is in Greensboro, North Carolina. We’re not ignorant of America’s vast geography; that’s still over 800 miles from Miami. But it is also much closer in subtropical humidity and mugginess than England’s base in Kansas City, Missouri.
And when it comes to Haaland specifically…he did actually spend a summer training in Florida last year, when Manchester City took part in the 2025 Club World Cup.
Pep Guardiola’s side were based at Lynn University in Boca Raton, just a 45 minute drive away from the Hard Rock Stadium.
City played two of their games in the Sunshine State, with Haaland scoring in both their 5-2 win over Juventus and their 4-3 defeat to Al Hilal in Orlando.
It may be time to stop obsessing over the weather and worry more about the actual football, then.