Rain and Lightning Delay France-Iraq World Cup Match by Two Hours

Heavy rain and lightning forced a two-hour delay at halftime of the France versus Iraq match at Lincoln Financial Field on Monday. The break began at 5:50 p.m. EDT and lasted until 8 p.m. EDT, extending the scheduled 15-minute halftime by one hour and 55 minutes.

A downpour began in the 37th minute, leaving France with a 1-0 lead when play stopped. Crews used squeegees to clear standing water from the field while scoreboard messages directed spectators to covered areas. The stoppage marked the first rain delay of the 2026 World Cup and the first time in at least several decades that a World Cup match was halted midgame due to weather.

A FIFA rule pauses matches for 30 minutes when lightning is detected within eight miles, with each strike resetting the clock. The teams returned to warm up after about one hour and 40 minutes of delay. France scored twice in the second half, including two goals by Kylian Mbappé, to complete a 3-0 victory.

France coach Didier Deschamps said the interruption was a question of safety. Iraq coach Graham Arnold said the delay was the first he had experienced as a coach or player. “It obviously made it much harder for the players,” Arnold said.

French defender Jules Kounde said the conditions were out of the team’s control and that the players adapted well. A separate match between Norway and Senegal in East Rutherford, New Jersey, started on schedule despite heavy rain in the area. World Cup regulations state that a match abandoned due to force majeure after kickoff restarts from the point of interruption rather than being replayed in full.