7 Strange Things Players Asked FIFA Organizers to Provide During the World Cup

The FIFA World Cup is the ultimate stage for athletic glory, but behind the scenes, it’s also a theater of peculiar requests. When the world’s best players check into team hotels and training bases, they don’t just ask for a towel and a good view. They bring lists — detailed, bizarre, and often head-scratching demands.

Organizers have learned to expect the unexpected. Here are 7 strange things players have actually asked FIFA to provide during the tournament, proving that elite performance sometimes requires elite eccentricity.

1 The “Goldilocks” Mattress

Forget five-star hotel beds — several superstars have demanded specific luxury mattresses shipped directly to their rooms. One prominent forward famously requested a mattress with a custom firmness level, complete with a memory foam topper and a specific thread count for the sheets. The logic? A single bad night’s sleep can derail weeks of training. FIFA now keeps a catalog of approved sleep systems on standby.

2 The Gaming Command Center

Downtime is crucial, and for many young stars, “relaxation” means dominating opponents in virtual football. Multiple squads have requested high-end gaming monitors, next-gen consoles, and ultra-fast LAN setups to run FIFA tournaments and Call of Duty sessions. Some players even asked for their personal gaming chairs to be flown in. It’s not just fun — it’s team bonding.

3 The Personal Climate Bubble

World Cup host nations are often hot and humid, but some players refuse to sweat it out. A few high-profile athletes have demanded individual portable air conditioning units for their hotel rooms, set to a precise degree (down to the decimal). Others requested specific humidifiers to match the climate of their home country. If they can’t control the stadium, at least they’ll control their bedroom.

4 The Forbidden Fruit Ban

Nutritionists are strict, but players take it to another level. One national team requested that all tropical fruits — particularly mangoes and pineapples — be completely banned from the team hotel. The reason? They believed these fruits caused an energy spike followed by a lethargic crash. Another squad banned peanuts to avoid any risk of contamination or distraction. The catering teams had to re-write entire menus.

5 The Familiar Net

You’d think all goals are the same, but players disagree. Some strikers have asked FIFA to provide goalposts and nets with specific tension and “softness” for training sessions. They claim that the way the ball rebounds off a certain net affects their shooting confidence. Organizers have had to source multiple net types to accommodate these tactile demands.

6 The Private Chef & Tea-Maker

Hotel buffets aren’t good enough for everyone. Several teams have flown in their own national chefs to prepare traditional dishes. The Argentine squad famously brought their own asado (barbecue) masters. Meanwhile, one English player requested a specific brand of tea leaves and a kettle that brews at exactly 100°C, threatening to “lose focus” without his pre-match cuppa.

7 The Blackout Fortress

Sunlight is the enemy of sleep schedules, especially when matches are played late at night. Some players have demanded 100% blackout curtains — not just the hotel’s standard ones, but heavy-duty industrial ones that block every photon of light. A few even asked for window films to be installed temporarily. Their goal: to trick their bodies into thinking it’s midnight at 2 PM.

Which demand surprised you the most? Drop a comment and let us know — and don’t forget to gear up like a pro using our top picks above!