PHILADELPHIA — The Group I clash between France and Iraq endured a two-hour delay for severe weather, the first such stoppage at the 2026 World Cup.
Because of lightning in the area, the game entered a delay as soon as the first half ended at roughly 6 p.m. local time, and play did not officially resume till about 8 p.m.
As soon as referee Drew Fischer blew the whistle for the break, the following message was posted on the scoreboard: “Please exit the open seating area and seek shelter in the stadium as directed by the stadium staff. A severe thunderstorm is approaching.”
France led 1-0 at halftime through Kylian Mbappe’s third goal of the tournament.
While the first 41 matches of the tournament have proceeded without any weather stoppages, delays were a regular feature of the 2025 Club World Cup, also played in the United States.
Six matches were impacted in total. The most drastic was a two-hour stoppage following halftime in the match between Benfica and Auckland City in Orlando, Fla.
–Ian Nicholas Quillen, Field Level Media
