At the 2026 FIFA World Cup, one of the most interesting innovations may not be on the pitch, but on the sidelines.

As players prepare to compete in extreme summer temperatures across North America, football is being forced to confront a new reality: the future of sport will not only depend on talent, tactics and training, but also on how intelligently we design for a changing climate.

One of the most visible responses is a new generation of cooling clothing.

Adidas has developed its CLIMACOOL System for the tournament: a combination of cooling vest, insulating jacket and cooling overshoes designed to help players manage body temperature before matches, during warm-ups and at half-time.

This is not simply sportswear. It is clothing becoming a performance system.

CLOTHING IS BECOMING AN ACTIVE PERFORMANCE SYSTEM, NOT SIMPLY SOMETHING WE WEAR.

CLOTHING AS CLIMATE TECHNOLOGY

For decades, sportswear has been designed to improve movement, comfort and identity. Shirts became lighter. Fabrics became more breathable. Footwear became more precise.

Now, clothing is being asked to do something more complex: help the human body adapt to heat.

The cooling vest used in the CLIMACOOL System contains a specialised gel that is frozen before use. As the material gradually thaws, it absorbs heat from the athlete’s body, helping to cool the torso, abdomen and back.

The technology is linked to phase-change materials (PCM’s). These materials work by changing state — from solid to liquid — while absorbing heat. Unlike ordinary ice, PCM can be engineered to provide more controlled and consistent cooling.

This is where design, science and sport meet.

THE HUMAN BODY UNDER PRESSURE

Football is already one of the most physically demanding sports in the world. Players accelerate, sprint, stop, turn and recover repeatedly over 90 minutes or more. In extreme heat, the body must also work harder to regulate its internal temperature.

This creates a difficult challenge for players, coaches and organisers.

Hydration remains essential, but hydration alone is not enough. The future of heat management in sport will increasingly depend on a wider ecosystem of solutions: cooling garments, recovery protocols, nutrition, medical monitoring, scheduling decisions and stadium design.

Scientific research into cooling vests suggests that even short periods of cooling during recovery can help reduce skin and core temperature after football-related exercise. For elite players, where small margins matter, this kind of intervention can become significant.

DESIGNING FOR THE FUTURE OF SPORT

What makes these cooling jackets so interesting is that they are both practical and symbolic.

Practically, they may help athletes manage heat stress during one of the world’s most demanding sporting events.

Symbolically, they show how climate change is already influencing the design of global sport.

The question is no longer only how to make athletes faster, stronger or more aerodynamic. The question is also how to protect performance and health in environments that are becoming more unpredictable.

This shift has implications far beyond football.

If elite athletes require cooling garments to perform safely, what does this suggest about the future of work, travel, outdoor events, schools, cities and everyday clothing?

FROM SPORTSWEAR TO HUMAN ADAPTATION

At Living Our Future, we are interested in the moments where different disciplines come together.

The cooling jacket is one of those moments.

It brings together textile design, sports science, physiology, climate awareness, engineering and human performance. It reminds us that innovation is often most powerful when it responds to a real human need.

In this case, the need is simple and urgent: how can we help the body remain safe, functional and resilient in a hotter world?

The World Cup gives this innovation global visibility, but the larger story is not only about football. It is about the way design will increasingly have to respond to climate, comfort and human health.

LOOKING AHEAD

The sportswear of the future may do far more than improve performance. It may increasingly help the body regulate temperature, monitor physical conditions and adapt to more demanding environments.

The cooling garments developed for the World Cup offer an early example of this evolution. While designed for elite sport, the technologies behind them may eventually influence clothing for outdoor workers, travellers and people living in increasingly hot climates.

The World Cup gives these innovations a global stage. The wider question is how design, science and technology can work together to help us adapt to a changing world climate.

SOURCES

The New York Times / The Athletic — World Cup heat and player cooling strategies

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7412054/2026/07/02/world-cup-us-heatwave-players-keeping-cool/?unlocked_article_code=1.vVA.n7fN.jxRxy9pyb7XE&source=athletic_user_shared_gift_article_email&smid=em-share-ta: WHEN THE WORLD CUP GETS HOTTER

Adidas — CLIMACOOL System for FIFA World Cup 2026

INUTEQ — Phase-change cooling technology