During the World Cup, from 11 June to 19 July 2026, join the GLOBE Program in collecting environmental data where the world plays soccer (football)!

Go to your local soccer (football) field, park, schoolyard, or anywhere people play, and take observations:

• Air temperature
• Surface temperature
• Land cover 

Whether you play soccer (football), cheer from the sidelines, coach a team, or simply live near a field, you can help investigate the environment where soccer (football) is played in your community. Is the field surrounded by trees, buildings, dirt, or pavement? Is it grass, artificial turf, or another surface? How do temperatures compare from one day to the next — and how does your local field compare to fields around the world? How does your field compare to the surrounding areas?

World Cup athletes will compete on cultivated grass fields in a wide range of environmental conditions. Your observations can help us explore how playing environments differ across regions, climates, and field surfaces.

How to Participate

To participate, join the GLOBE Team in your region (listed below) and submit complete observations throughout the challenge. Let’s see which GLOBE region is the biggest soccer (football) fan! We’ll track participation around the world and highlight observations and soccer (football) fields from different GLOBE regions.

Bonus: Include your soccer ball (football) in your “Down Photo” so we can see where the world plays!

Regional GLOBE Teams (join one):

• Africa: GLOBE Cup Africa
• Asia and Pacific: GLOBE Cup Asia Pacific
• Europe and Eurasia: GLOBE Cup Europe Eurasia
• Latin America and Caribbean: GLOBE Cup LAC
• North America: GLOBE Cup North America
• Near East and North Africa: GLOBE Cup NENA

Not sure how to join? Learn more about GLOBE Teams.

Tips and Resources

Land Cover

Tips

• Watch this video for how to get started!
• Using the Land Cover tool in the GLOBE Observer app, photograph the land cover in your surroundings, focusing on the area within the nearest 50 meters or about the size of half a soccer field (required)
• Identify the correct land cover classification using this visual

Air Temperature

Get Trained
Training options include (complete one of the three):

• Read through the Field Guide
• Complete the data collection eTraining (recommended for citizen scientists, requires account creation if first time using training system)
• Complete the protocol eTraining (recommended for educators, requires GLOBE account)

Tips

• When using an alcohol-filled or meat thermometer, make sure your thermometer is calibrated! Learn how to calibrate a thermometer.
• Take the measurement in the shade (could be the shadow of your body) 
• Wait a minute to see if the temperature changes – keep checking until the temperature does not change

Surface Temperature

Get Trained
Training options include (complete one of the three):

• Read through the Field Guide
• Complete the data collection eTraining recommended for citizen scientists, requires account creation if first time using training system)
• Complete the protocol eTraining (recommended for educators, requires GLOBE account)

Tips

• Use an Infrared Thermometer
• Leave the Infrared Thermometer outside for 1 hour if the outdoor temperature is very different than the indoor temperature.
• Do not take the temperature of shadowed areas (including the shadow that your body may cast).
• Extend your arm in front of you to take the observations. (You don’t want to measure the temperature of your feet.)
• Be sure to take 3 - 9 random surface temperature readings within the homogeneous area.
• Be careful to not mix cover types (grass, sand, pavement) in one study area.

Good luck to the World Cup athletes (and fans) of the 48 teams competing in the FIFA World Cup 2026!