sports
France vs Iraq World Cup match halted over two hours by thunderstorm, France leads 1-0
The Group I match in Philadelphia was halted at half-time for over two hours due to a thunderstorm. France had taken the lead through a Kylian Mbappé goal before play resumed at 8:00 pm local time.
Le MondeAudio version
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The World Cup Group I match between France and Iraq was suspended at half-time for more than two hours on June 22 after a severe thunderstorm passed over Philadelphia. The game at Philadelphia Stadium, which kicked off at 5:00 pm local time, resumed at 8:00 pm once the pitch had been cleared of standing water. France led 1-0 at the interval after Kylian Mbappé scored in the 14th minute.
Torrential rain began late in the first half, prompting officials to instruct supporters to leave the open seating areas and move to covered concourses inside the 68,324-capacity stadium, most of which is uncovered. Le Monde reported that this was the first match of the 2026 World Cup delayed by severe weather.
Several games at the 2025 Club World Cup in the United States had also been held up by bad weather.
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CorroborationLimited · 2 sources
