England's World Cup quarter-final against Norway faces delay as Miami heat and storms threaten kick-off

England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway faces the prospect of another weather-related delay, with Miami forecast to reach 34°C this weekend and thunderstorms expected around the time of kick-off at Hard Rock Stadium.

Elevated humidity means conditions could feel as hot as 43°C, while BBC Weather predicts lightning shortly before and during the match. FIFA was already forced to delay England’s last-16 tie against Mexico by an hour under similar circumstances, and officials have not ruled out a comparable disruption — or even a postponement — if conditions prove hazardous enough.

The game is currently scheduled to kick off at 10pm UK time on Saturday. Any delay would push the final whistle — or a potential penalty shootout — well past midnight, mirroring the England v Mexico match, which eventually began around 2am UK time and finished close to 4am.

FIFA protocol requires a minimum 30-minute suspension if lightning is detected within eight miles of a stadium, in line with regulations set by local authorities across the tournament. The governing body must also follow guidance from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which requires players to leave the field and spectators to move indoors when lightning is identified nearby.

Additional safeguards include Wet-bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT) readings taken 90 minutes and 60 minutes before kick-off at venues considered especially hot or humid. FIFA’s competition rules permit postponement if those readings indicate conditions are too dangerous for play.

England have previous experience of Florida’s volatile weather. Their pre-tournament warm-up against Costa Rica at Orlando City’s ground started an hour late due to torrential rain and lightning — a moment manager Thomas Tuchel reflected on with measured pragmatism.

“It gives us a little taste of what can happen in the tournament,” Tuchel told ITV at the time. “We were aware of that before, now we experience it. It’s no problem. It should not be an excuse to lose our mood or patience or to lose our hunger to play the game.”

He added: “We realised it when we were still at the hotel so it was easy — we just said half an hour later in the bus and let’s go.”