The World Cup faced its first weather delay of the tournament on Monday, as thunderstorms delayed Iraq's Group I match versus France by roughly two hours.
Heavy downpours opened in the 35th minute in the fixture between the two sides. France entered half-time up 1-0 thanks to a goal from Kylian Mbappe before officials announced a delay of about a half-hour due to storms. A tornado warning was also issued shortly after kick-off.
“A severe thunderstorm is a approaching,” Lincoln Financial Field's scoreboard read while advising the poncho-wearing football fans to seek shelter.
The match resumed at 8pm local time, two hours and 10 minutes after the first half ended.
Fifa follows strict regulations. According to Fifa rules, matches must be delayed for a half-hour if lightning is detected within a 13km radius of a stadium. Any subsequent lightning strike would reset the timer.
Players and team officials must also return to their dressing rooms immediately once a delay is ordered, although France and Iraq were already in the dressing room at half time when the decision was made.
The stadium's gates also opened an hour later than scheduled due to thunder in the area earlier in the day.
The weather delays brought back memories of a 2025 Club World Cup fixture between Chelsea and Benefica in Charlotte, North Carolina, where lightning delayed the match for nearly two hours. The game was in its 87th minute of play when a weather system forced it to be paused.
A World Cup match later on Monday between Norway and Senegal in New Jersey also faced a possible delay due to weather.
