🚨 France v Iraq second half delayed by thunderstorms!

🚨 France v Iraq second half delayed by thunderstorms!

Thunderbolt (literally).

It had been feared, and it is now official. While the France team was leading Iraq at halftime (1-0) in their second Group I match of the 2026 World Cup, the start of the second half was officially delayed.

The reason: a downpour hit the pitch, but above all lightning was detected less than 13 kilometers from Philadelphia stadium, where the match is being played. Under FIFA protocol, the game must now be suspended for at least 30 minutes.

If those 30 minutes pass without any lightning near the stadium, the match can resume. However, if lightning appears again, the 30-minute timer will be reset each time.

As a reminder, it had already been known for several days that this match was under threat from particularly severe weather conditions. Thunderstorms, strong winds, heavy rain, and even isolated tornadoes were feared.

It now remains to be seen when the match will resume. During the Club World Cup last summer, this situation occurred, and the match between Chelsea and Benfica lasted more than 4 hours and 30 minutes.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.