France and Iraq's World Cup Group I match is set to be troubled by inclement weather. The two nations face each other in Philadelphia at the Lincoln Financial Field.
It's going to be a tough afternoon for Iraq as they will have to try and stop the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Michael Olise and many more. As well as that obvious challenge, they may even have to compete with the weather as well.
Severe storms have been tipped to take place near the stadium which could cause havoc throughout the match. If they do, it will likely take a lot longer than 90 minutes to finish the match.
According to FIFA rules, play must be interrupted and delayed if lightning strikes within eight miles of the stadium. In this scenario, fans are also shifted from the stands into the concourse or to an emergency shelter area.
Lauren Lambrugo, chief operating officer of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, when asked about what happens in this scenario, said: "They'll start to evacuate the stadium to the main concourse and seek emergency shelter. And then it has to wait 30 minutes prior to them bringing everybody back on the field.”
Lambrugo was more confident when asked about the prospect of the match being postponed as a result of the weather. She replied: "They will make sure that the match is broadcast and played tomorrow," before stating the final call on weather related issues are the responsibility of "FIFA and the (Philadelphia) Eagles team."
At the time of writing, no World Cup matches this tournament have been delayed as a result of the weather. There were concerns this would become a common occurrence when England's friendly with Costa Rica in Orlando, Florida, was delayed by an hour as a result of lightning strikes.
Nevertheless, fans watching France and Iraq have been urged to keep abreast of weather warnings and related notifications. Producers of the World Cup fan zone in Philadelphia also urged spectators to not be scared off from visiting the fan zone.
Michael DelBene, executive producer of FIFA Fan Festival, said: "We’ve been very lucky, this past week has been wonderful. We encourage people to come out even if it’s raining. In the event of dangerous weather, high winds or lighting or anything like that, we will evacuate the site.”
Meanwhile Mbappe and his team-mates will certainly be looking to keep causing a storm at the World Cup. They made a real statement by blowing Senegal away 3-1 with a devastating three goal scoring blitz in the second half.
The Real Madrid forward scored a brace against the Senegalese, including a 30-yard effort which caught ex-Chelsea goalkeeper Edouard Mendy off balance.
