FIH Pro League 2026: Matches in Wavre During a Heat Wave

Went to watch a couple of games in the FIH Pro League. First time it was hosted in the new stadium in Wavre where part of the 2026 World Championship in August will be played (matches are played in Wavre and Amsterdam). We are suffering from a heat wave so matches were delayed to start at 6PM. The women played first and it was still hot. We had a good spot under the roof that provided sufficient shade luckily, otherwise we would have been boiled like the players. Every 7.5 minutes there was a short hydration break but you could clearly see how the heat influenced the tempo. The Dutch were the better team but the Aussies had their chances which they didn’t use. It stayed 1-0 for the Dutch until in the last minute Australia scored. In the shoot outs the Australians were clearly better and they clinched the game. At 8:30pm it was time for the men’s game between Belgium and The Netherlands. Luckily the sun was starting to get lower and there was shade on large parts of the pitch. Belgium dominated most of the game and managed to take the victory with a 2-1 win. The crowd was cheering the team along in the last 2 minutes as if if was a final.