How Football (soccer!) Plans to Adapt to a Hotter World

In episode 255 of America Adapts, host Doug Parsons speaks with Elliot Arthur-Worsop, founder and director of Football for Future, about how the world's most popular sport can become a powerful platform for climate adaptation and communication. Elliot shares how his organization is engaging clubs, players, governing bodies, and fans while expanding the football climate conversation beyond sustainability and emissions. Doug and Elliot discuss Football for Future's Pitches in Peril report, which examines climate risks facing 2026 FIFA World Cup host cities and stadiums across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, including extreme heat, flooding, risks to players and fans, adaptation funding, and how major sporting events can leave behind a resilience legacy. They also explore whether global sporting events can help unlock new sources of funding for resilience. Elliot argues that "politics follows culture," leading to a broader conversation about adaptation's communications challenge and what the resilience community can learn from football about storytelling, influence, marketing, and reaching audiences far beyond the traditional climate space.

Transcript for this episode.

FIFA World Cup

Links in this episode:

https://footballforfuture.org/pitchesinperil

The Future of Adaptation Funds in Global Sport

https://afddf8e8-2dfc-4526-9ba6-71e1899413f3.filesusr.com/ugd/e9e304_a61ef14e0fdf41ddb6961067f737089d.pdf

Key Themes Covered in This Episode

• The World's Most Popular Sport Meets Climate Change
• The 2026 World Cup as a Climate Stress Test
• Football's Role in Climate Communication
• Funding Climate Adaptation Through Sport
• Extreme Heat and the Future of Outdoor Sports
• Reaching Billions Through Culture and Storytelling
• Creating a Resilience Legacy Beyond the Tournament
  
  For Educators & Students
• Climate Change and the World's Most Popular Sport
• The 2026 FIFA World Cup as a Climate Stress Test
• Extreme Heat, Stadium Resilience, and Athlete Safety
• Adaptation Finance and New Funding Models
• Climate Communication Beyond Traditional Audiences
• Why Politics Follows Culture
• Using Sports to Make Climate Adaptation Visible and Relevant

Who Should Listen to This Episode

• Anyone curious about how climate change is affecting the world's most popular sport
• Climate adaptation and resilience professionals
• Sports executives, sustainability managers, and event organizers
• Climate communicators, journalists, and storytellers
• Students and educators interested in adaptation and public engagement
• Funders exploring new approaches to climate resilience
• Fans wondering what climate change means for the future of football

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