AGENCIES

Fans at the 2026 World Cup in North America had been warned there was a possibility that games could be disrupted by bad weather. On Monday, that likelihood came true with a vengeance as lightning flashed across the sky above Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia and torrential rain soaked spectators at France’s game against Iraq, forcing play to be halted for more than two hours. It was the first time that a match at the tournament has had to be paused due to the weather. Antoine Chouraqui, a Frenchman who has lived in the United States for a decade, took the development in stride. “There are storms in the summer here. I’ve never had to evacuate a stadium, but I play tennis and often we’re in the middle of a match when the alarm goes off warning that lightning is coming, and we have to leave the court,” he told AFP. The Club World Cup in the United States last year, which served as a dress rehearsal for the World Cup, saw six matches delayed because of extreme weather conditions, including eventual winners Chelsea’s game against Benfica in the round of 16 in Charlotte, which was halted for four and a half hours. Scientists say this is a phenomenon that could become increasingly common as greenhouse gases continue to warm the planet.