France vs. Iraq match at the 2026 World Cup interrupted for the first time due to bad weather

The group stage match of the 2026 World Cup between the national teams of France and Iraq in Philadelphia became the first game of the tournament to be suspended due to adverse weather conditions. The cause was a severe thunderstorm and lightning near the stadium, reports UNN.

Details

FIFA decided not to reschedule the match for another day. After assessing the weather situation, it was decided to finish the game the same night.

The game is planned to resume at 02:50 Kyiv time on June 23.

France was leading in the score before the match was stopped

At the time of the suspension, the first half had ended. The French national team was winning against the Iraqi team with a score of 1:0.

The only goal was scored by Kylian Mbappé in the 14th minute.

The match was interrupted in accordance with the safety protocol of the USA and FIFA, which prohibits holding sporting events if lightning strikes are recorded within an eight-mile radius of the stadium.

According to the regulations, after the threat disappears, the teams must undergo a mandatory 15-minute warm-up before resuming the game.

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