The Andes Football League will trial expanded heat substitutions and longer cooling breaks during its next round of high-altitude fixtures, league officials announced after consultations with club doctors. The policy covers afternoon matches in Quito, La Paz and Cusco, where strong sun, thinner air and warmer seasonal patterns have complicated traditional assumptions about safe playing conditions.

The decision follows broader work-rest changes across Mediterranean states and a growing willingness by sports bodies to treat heat as a scheduling issue rather than an exceptional disruption. Team physicians said the aim is not to slow the game permanently but to prevent late-match collapses that have become more common during early summer fixtures.

Coaches were divided. Some argued deeper benches will favor wealthier clubs, while others said the medical case is settled and tactics will adjust. Fans in Quito, already returning to cooled plazas for evening film events, are expected to see more night kickoffs if the trial produces fewer stoppages and no major broadcast losses.