The World’s Biggest Football Tournament Has a Heat Safety Protocol.
Meet the Science
Behind It.
The World's Biggest Football Tournament Has a Heat Safety Protocol.
Meet the Science
Behind It.
The Kestrel 5400 Heat Stress Tracker is the standard of care for athletic trainers, sports medicine professionals, and event safety teams managing heat risk at major outdoor sporting events — including this summer's international soccer tournament matches across the United States.
30 Years as the Industry Standard in Handheld Weather Measurement
Deployed in Team Emergency Care Bags at the Elite Tournament Level
Recommended by Korey Stringer Institute America's Leading Heat Safety Research Institution
The Heat Challenge This Summer
The 2026 Matches Are Coming to Some of America’s Hottest Cities.
This summer, international soccer matches will be played across host cities, including Miami, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta, and New York — many during peak heat season. Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) values at several venues are projected to reach ranges that require active heat stress management protocols under guidelines from the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) and the National Athletic Trainers' Association (NATA).
Whether you're an athletic trainer on the sideline, a medical director overseeing event safety, or an occupational health manager with crews working outdoor venues, accurate, real-time WBGT measurement is not optional — it's the standard of care.
What is WBGT?
Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) is the gold-standard index for measuring heat stress on the human body. Unlike a standard thermometer, WBGT accounts for temperature, humidity, solar radiation, and wind — the four factors that together determine how hard your body has to work to cool itself. It is the measurement standard recommended by the NATA, U.S. military, ACGIH, and OSHA heat guidance.
The Kestrel 5400: Built For This Moment
Kestrel 5400 Features
- Measures WBGT, Heat Index, Wet Bulb, Dew Point, and 12+ environmental parameters
- Built-in athletic, ACGIH, and military heat stress guideline zones with color-coded risk categories.
- Custom alerts that trigger light, buzzer, and SMS (with Bluetooth)
- Waterproof, drop-tested, and field-ready
- Optional Bluetooth data logging to the Kestrel LiNK app
- Used by U.S. military, first responders, athletic trainers, and industrial safety teams worldwide
- Deployed in FIFA Emergency Care Bags at elite international soccer events
Professional Heat Stress Monitoring. Anywhere. In Seconds.
The Kestrel 5400 Heat Stress Tracker measures and calculates WBGT, Heat Index, Wet Bulb Temperature, and more — in real time, in the field, with no network connection required. It’s rugged, handheld, and accurate enough to be deployed in the most demanding environments on earth.
Live WBGT Forecasts - Every Match, Every Venue
Know the Heat Risk Before Every Kickoff
Our free weather platform, Ambient Weather Network (AWN), will provide real-time WBGT forecasts for each match location throughout the 2026 tournament. Whether you're attending the matches or managing outdoor crews near the venues, our forecasts give you the data you need to assess heat risk.
How do I check the WBGT forecast for today's match?
Tap the soccer ball icons on the Ambient Weather Network map to see current and projected WBGT levels, heat risk categories, and hourly forecasts for each host city on match days.
View Live Match-Day WBGT Forecasts on Ambient Weather Network
Who Uses Kestrel For Heat Stress
From the Sideline to the Job Site — Heat Stress Doesn’t Discriminate.
The Kestrel 5400 is trusted across professional environments where heat exposure is a life-safety issue:
Athletics & Sports Medicine: Athletic trainers, team physicians, and tournament medical directors rely on Kestrel to make real-time decisions about practice or other modifications, hydration breaks, and event delay or cancellation based on the recognized regional WBGT zones.
Outdoor Events & Venue Operations: Security personnel, grounds crews, concession workers, and broadcast teams working at outdoor stadiums this summer face the same heat exposures as the athletes on the field — often with fewer protections. OSHA's Heat Illness Prevention guidelines apply, and Kestrel gives safety managers the data to act.
Military & Law Enforcement: The Kestrel 5400 is a standard-issue tool across multiple U.S. military branches and law enforcement agencies for heat stress management during training and field operations.
Industrial & Construction: From construction sites surrounding new venues to utility crews working overtime this summer, OSHA-compliant heat monitoring starts with accurate WBGT measurement.
Frequently Asked Questions
What device do athletic trainers use to measure heat stress at sporting events?
Athletic trainers, team physicians, and tournament medical directors rely on Kestrel to make real-time decisions about practice or other modifications, hydration breaks, and event delay or cancellation based on recognized regional WBGT zones which account for differences in climate, environment, and athlete acclimatization.
What is the WBGT limit for outdoor sports?
Recommended limits vary by organization, sport, and importantly, by region. The ACSM developed a widely used set of WBGT-based activity modification guidelines, though those guidelines are not based on location. To address regional variation in the U.S., Dr. Andrew Grundstein and colleagues proposed adjustments to WBGT thresholds by region, accounting for the environmental differences between states like Louisiana and Maine. This research identified three heat safety regions across the contiguous U.S., with activity modification thresholds set relative to local extreme WBGT values and acclimatization patterns. Major League Soccer has adopted these regional categories for their own recommended activity guidelines. Learn more about the findings in the research: Grundstein et al. (2015), "Regional Heat Safety Thresholds for Athletics in the Contiguous United States," Applied Geography.
For professional football specifically, thresholds differ by governing body. FIFPRO recommends postponing or rescheduling matches when WBGT exceeds 28°C (82.4°F), while FIFA's own guidelines have historically set the extreme risk threshold at 32°C (89.6°F). MLS sets its threshold at 29°C (84.2°F). For the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has moved beyond threshold-based protocols, mandating three-minute hydration breaks at the 22-minute mark of each half in every match, regardless of weather conditions.
How do you check WBGT at an outdoor event?
A handheld WBGT meter like the Kestrel 5400 can provide an accurate, real-time reading in seconds. Simply power on the device, allow a brief stabilization period, and read the WBGT value and risk category directly on the display. No network connection is required.
Is the Kestrel 5400 used in professional soccer?
The Kestrel 5400 Heat Stress Tracker is included in FIFA Emergency Care Bags (FECBs) deployed at international soccer tournaments, making it part of the standard emergency preparedness toolkit at the highest level of the sport.
Where can I find WBGT forecasts for World Cup match locations?
The Ambient Weather Network, our free weather platform, will publish WBGT forecasts for each host city on match days throughout the 2026 tournament. Forecasts are updated regularly and include hourly projections and heat risk category flags.
Heat Safety Is Not A Halftime Decision
The moments that matter most — a player flagging on the pitch, a crew member showing signs of heat exhaustion, a crowd packed into an uncovered concourse — don't wait for the right tool to arrive. The Kestrel 5400 is in your hand, reading in seconds, trusted by the professionals who've already made the call.
Kestrel Instruments is not an official sponsor, partner, or licensee of FIFA or the 2026 FIFA World Cup. All tournament references on this page are to a publicly occurring event. FIFA, World Cup, and related marks are trademarks of their respective owners. Kestrel's inclusion in FIFA Emergency Care Bags reflects procurement decisions made by FIFA's medical teams independently.