COLUMBUS, Ohio — This year's World Cup will be one of the hottest in history, with the temperatures in Qatar expected to reach into the high 80s and the humidity regularly topping 70%.
So, naturally, the U.S. is preparing for that by playing some of the coldest World Cup qualifiers in history, beginning Thursday with a game against El Salvador at a frigid Lower.com Field. The temperature in Columbus peaked at 19 degrees Fahrenheit on Wednesday and the forecast Thursday calls for a chance of snow and 30 degrees at kickoff, one degree above the record for the coldest U.S. qualifier this century.
How cold is that? According to the U.S. Soccer Federation's own index, the 21-degree wind chill is just outside the orange level, which presents a "risk of cold-related illness."
