Assessing climate suitability of 3 cities for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup

Given the impacts of climate change, sport event organizations need to adapt to changes in their environment to remain feasible, safe, competitive, and profitable. Mega-events such as the Olympic Games and Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cups take years to plan and, ideally, produce long-lasting legacy benefits for their host communities. In awarding these events to host cities and countries, the rightsholders must carefully consider the local climate to ensure that playing conditions will be safe and competitive. This case study examines the prospective 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup bid in Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands and invites students to put themselves in the position of a joint bid committee, which must assess the suitability of three cities (Brussels, Berlin, and Amsterdam) for hosting based on their climate. Furthermore, students will be asked to identify climate adaptation strategies that might be adopted by the prospective host committees to accommodate any potential climate challenges. Through this case study, students will learn to investigate the potential effects of climate, climate change, and weather issues on a mega-event; explore the relationship between sport and the natural environment; and learn to source climate data for their own communities and organizations.