Effects of Hot and Cold Environments in Team Sports: A Narrative Review of Physiological Consequences, Performance Implications, and Mitigation Strategies

Team-sport athletes compete across diverse thermal environments that can alter physiological, neuromuscular, cognitive, and perceptual responses. Because intermittent match play is shaped by pacing, tactics, substitutions, position, and recovery opportunities, evidence from continuous exercise cannot be directly extrapolated to team sports. This review summarizes the effects of hot and cold environments and evaluates practical mitigation strategies.

A structured search of PubMed, Web of Science, and ResearchGate identified English-language original studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, and position statements addressing environmental stress, physiological responses, performance, athlete safety, and mitigation strategies relevant to team sports.

Exposure to heat increases cardiovascular and perceptual strain, dehydration, neuromuscular fatigue, and cognitive impairment, although match-performance effects vary with humidity, environmental severity, acclimatization, pacing, tactical behaviour, and competition demands. Cold exposure may impair muscle function, agility, dexterity, and cognitive performance and may increase the risk of dehydration, particularly during periods of inactivity, substitutions, and exposure to windy or wet conditions. Heat acclimation, individualized hydration, and appropriately timed cooling have the strongest practical support, whereas hyperhydration remains context-dependent. In cold conditions, layered clothing, optimized warm-up and re-warm-up, hydration, nutrition, and protection for substitute players are recommended, although team-sport-specific evidence is limited.

Environmental effects on team-sport performance are context-dependent and reflect interactions among climatic, physiological, behavioural, and sport-specific factors; laboratory findings should therefore be translated cautiously to competition.

Environmental stress should be integrated into preparation, monitoring, medical management, and tactical planning using individualized, sport-specific, multidisciplinary strategies to preserve performance and reduce health risks.