Thunderstorms interrupted Monday’s World Cup game between France and Iraq, the first match at the tournament in the United States, Canada, and Mexico to be disrupted by weather.
At halftime at Lincoln Financial Field, France held a 1-0 lead after Kylian Mbappe scored his third goal of the tournament, before it was announced that the restart of the second half would be delayed.
There would be a minimum of a 30-minute delay, a FIFA official confirmed to The Athletic, including the 15 minutes for the half-time break.
A further statement from world soccer’s governing body said “the situation is still being observed to determine if further delays are anticipated” and that it would “follow the safety protocols established by the local authorities” and that the match “will resume as soon as it is safe to do so”.
A Flood Watch in the Philadelphia area went into effect at 2 p.m. ET, warning of heavy rain and severe storms. The stadium delayed gates opening due to brief rain at that time, but it cleared up shortly thereafter, and the game started on time at 5 p.m.
The teams played through heavy rain, which began at about 5:30 p.m., until impending thunderstorms at halftime prompted instructions on the stadium screens for supporters to seek shelter.
Severe weather warnings could affect games across the U.S. on Monday, with New York City issuing a travel advisory ahead of the 8 p.m. ET match between Norway and Senegal.
What is the weather-delay protocol?
U.S. thunderstorm protocol is based on the recommendations of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which dictates that matches must be suspended if lightning or electrical discharge is detected within an eight-mile radius of the stadium. Fans will be evacuated to a safe shelter inside the venue, while players and staff will leave the pitch and head to the dressing rooms.
There must be no further lightning strikes detected within an eight-mile radius for a full 30 minutes before play is permitted to resume. If there is another strike, the clock resets to 30 minutes.
If storms occur within a radius of less than 30 minutes before the game is due to begin, kick-off will also be delayed.
FIFA, global football’s governing body, is not responsible for the thunderstorm protocol, and it cannot override it.
This means that there is no regulation in place for how long a game can be delayed or suspended before it is postponed, though FIFA will assess the situation on a case-by-case basis.
In a 48-team tournament, postponing a game could cause significant scheduling issues, especially if the final group games are affected. The final round of matches in each group all kick off at the same time — to ensure that no team has an advantage by knowing how many points they require to progress — though this would be disrupted if the starts are delayed.
Last month, the governing body issued a statement that read: “FIFA’s emergency preparedness team meets regularly with national meteorological and emergency management authorities in the United States, Canada and Mexico, as well as with partners across all 16 host cities.
“A comprehensive, tournament-wide preparedness exercise focusing on severe weather scenarios has further strengthened cross-agency coordination and operational readiness.
“Stadiums are required to maintain robust risk management and evacuation procedures, including lightning and severe weather protocols aligned with local legislation and international best practice.” FIFA said.
At the Club World Cup in the U.S. last summer, several games were affected by weather delays. Eventual champions Chelsea’s game against Benfica in Charlotte, North Carolina, was interrupted by what FIFA described as “severe weather in the area” and took four hours and 38 minutes to complete. Then-Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca described it as a “joke”.
Messages on the big screen at the Bank of America Stadium read: “Seek cover protocol. Severe weather in the area. Seek cover.”
Another of Benfica’s games at the tournament, this time against Auckland City in Orlando, Florida, was delayed by two hours due to thunderstorms in the area. Auckland also had a 40-minute delay against Boca Juniors in Nashville, Tennessee. By the time the players returned, Boca Juniors had already been eliminated.
England and Costa Rica played a warm-up game before this year’s World Cup that was scheduled to kick off at 4 p.m. ET (9 p.m. BST), though it was delayed by an hour due to torrential rain and the threat of thunderstorms in the area.
Credit: PHILADELPHIA of the Athletic media
