Severe weather made its presence felt at the FIFA World Cup on Monday as the clash between France and Iraq became the first match of the tournament to be affected by adverse conditions. Concerns over the weather had emerged hours before kick-off, with a Flood Watch issued at 2 p.m. Eastern Time amid forecasts of intense rainfall and thunderstorms in Philadelphia. Stadium officials temporarily held back fan entry after a spell of rain, although conditions improved soon after and the match got underway as scheduled at 5 pm local time.
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Rain began to fall heavily around half an hour into the contest, but play continued despite the worsening conditions. However, as thunderstorm activity moved closer to the venue during the interval, supporters were instructed via the stadium’s giant screens to move to designated shelter areas.
France were leading 1-0 at the break thanks to Kylian Mbappe’s third goal of the World Cup when organisers announced that the second half would not begin on time because of the weather threat. Tournament regulations require a minimum 30-minute suspension whenever lightning is detected within the designated safety zone around the stadium. The delay included the standard halftime interval, meaning players and fans faced an extended wait before any restart could be considered.
The weather concerns were not limited to Philadelphia. Elsewhere, forecasts of severe storms prompted authorities in New York City to issue a travel advisory ahead of the Group I encounter between Norway and Senegal later in the evening, raising fears of further disruption across World Cup venues in the United States.
This is not the first time weather has affected football matches in the US. During the Club World Cup last year, six games were put on hold due to the weather conditions and the stoppage came to a total of eight and a half hours.
The Chelsea vs Dortmund clash experienced the biggest disruption, eventually lasting 4 hours and 38 minutes from start to finish at Charlotte’s Bank of America Stadium. England’s warm-up fixture against Costa Rica was pushed back by an hour after lightning in the area triggered a weather delay ahead of the tournament.
THE WEATHER DELAY PROTOCOL
The U.S. thunderstorm protocol states that play must be halted whenever lightning or any electrical activity is recorded within an eight-mile radius of the stadium. In such situations, spectators are directed to designated shelter areas inside the venue, while players and match officials leave the field and return to the dressing rooms.
For the match to restart, no further lightning can be detected within that zone for at least 30 consecutive minutes. Any new strike during that period triggers a fresh 30-minute countdown.
The same protocol applies before kick-off. If lightning is detected within the specified radius during the 30 minutes leading up to the scheduled start time, the match cannot begin until conditions are deemed safe, and the mandatory waiting period has been completed.
It is worth noting that FIFA aren’t responsible for the protocol and they cannot override it.
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