It's rare for a FIFA World Cup to be held over winter months and for the visiting teams basing themselves in chilly Aotearoa, they're starting to understand why.
This year’s World Cup in New Zealand and Australia is the first in the Southern Hemisphere and unlike the past three tournaments, this year’s event is in the winter.
The cold temperatures are a stark contrast to what many of the European teams are used to at this time of the year.
Switzerland would be enjoying 33-degree sunny weather back home right now but instead they’re based in Dunedin for the tournament – all 13 degrees of it.
“We took some vitamins,” one Swiss player told 1News.
“Here it's cold, rainy, windy!”
The chilly south also gripping Costa Rica in Christchurch where Mariela Campos and her teammates are combating the cold with extra layers.
“I don't know if you guys know but Costa Rica is a very tropical country, it’s very sunny, very hot,” she said.
“So we're getting used to it but it’s really difficult training.”
They haven't got much longer to adjust though with the tournament kicking off this Thursday.
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