North America’s wide and wild World Cup will be an experience like no other | Emma Hayes

Teams must be prepared for challenging travel and a cauldron of heat but will also encounter fantastic fans and a beautiful football culture

This World Cup will be incomparable to anything we have seen before. Why? The pure scope of the tournament: 104 matches in three different countries played across 16 venues in three different time zones.

If you have not travelled around the United States, it is hard to imagine just how vast this country is. The land mass of England could fit comfortably into the state of Georgia. Imagine a World Cup being played across Europe. Imagine having to playing a game in Siberia and then your next match in the Algarve. Fifa has done its best to minimise it, but travelling around America, Canada and Mexico will be intense. Fun, for sure, but it will be taxing for fans who are already being squeezed by high ticket prices.