Although the American summer officially begins only this Saturday (20), visitors who went to the United States to watch the World Cup matches have already been able to experience a little of what to expect in terms of heat in recent days.
On Thursday (18), the thermometers on the streets of Dallas, Texas, registered around 35º Celsius (or 95º Fahrenheit, in the measurement used in the country), but with the thermal sensation approaching 41º C, due to a combination of high air humidity, relative proximity to the deserts of Mexico and excess concrete, which also contributes to heat retention.
At first, the most unsuspecting fans could be scared when they realize that Argentina’s second duel in the World Cup, against Austria, on Monday (22), in Group J, is scheduled to start at noon local time (2pm Brasília time).
The weather forecast indicates that the maximum could approach 35º C again on the day of the start.
There is, however, no reason to worry.
This is because the World Cup matches scheduled for Arlington, in the greater Dallas region, take place at AT&T Stadium, a modern arena opened in 2009 that has a retractable roof and a powerful air conditioning system on the pitch and in the stands.
The roof is made up of two giant movable panels, which can open or close in approximately 12 minutes.
Home to the Dallas Cowboys, from the NFL (the American football league in the United States), the structure has already remained completely closed in the first two duels of the FIFA (International Football Federation) tournament: the 2-2 draw between the Netherlands and Japan, and England’s 4-2 victory over Croatia.
In these cases, regardless of how hot it is outside, the average temperature felt by players and fans inside the stadium usually ranges between 22º C and 24º C, the same standard adopted by air-conditioned shopping malls or airports in the region.
The AT&T Stadium, renamed during the World Cup to Dallas Stadium, will still host the group stage duels between Japan and Sweden, on the 25th, and between Argentina and Jordan, on the 27th. The arena will also be the stage for two games in the 32-team phase (first knockout round), a round of 16 match and one of the semi-finals.
The stadium had already hosted three matches of the 2024 Copa América as a kind of test for the FIFA tournament, all held with the roof closed: the 0-0 draw between Peru and Chile and the United States’ 2-0 victory over Bolivia, in the group stage, and Canada’s victory over Venezuela in the penalty shootout, after a 1-1 draw in regular time, in the quarter-finals.
The Brazilian team has not yet played there.
In addition to the super refrigeration system, the stadium also has as one of its hallmarks the huge screen suspended over the pitch.
Measuring around 49 meters wide and 27 meters high, with a total area of around 1,300 m² — and weighing approximately 600 tons — AT&T Stadium’s high-definition screen was the largest in the world when it opened.
It ended up being surpassed by SoFi Stadium, in Los Angeles, opened in 2020 with an oval-shaped screen with a total area of 6,500 m².
