England's World Cup quarter-final vs Norway threatened by Miami thunderstorms after Henderson injury blow

England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway at Miami on Saturday is under threat from severe thunderstorms, with heavy rain and lightning forecast around kick-off time, raising the prospect of delays similar to those that disrupted their last-16 win over Mexico.

FIFA regulations require temporary stoppages whenever lightning is detected within eight miles (13km) of the stadium, a rule designed to protect players and spectators. The same conditions caused England’s victory over Mexico in Mexico City to be pushed back by an hour, and forecasters are warning of overcast skies, torrential rain and potentially violent storms in the Miami area ahead of Saturday’s 10pm BST (5pm local) kick-off.

England reached the quarter-finals by beating Mexico 3-2 in a dramatic last-16 tie on Sunday night, but the celebrations came at a cost. Midfielder Jordan Henderson suffered a wrist or arm injury while stumbling over advertising hoardings during the post-match scenes, and has remained behind in Mexico City to have the injury assessed and treated while the rest of the squad returned to their base in Kansas City.

Mirror Football’s John Cross, speaking on the Make Football Great Again podcast, said Henderson’s tournament is almost certainly over. “It feels like it might be his World Cup, to be honest,” Cross said. “I know it’s a sort of a wrist/arm injury which, you know, you probably get in plaster and what have you, but that early stage is going to be difficult for him. It feels as if it’s probably going to be his World Cup over. What an absolute hammer blow, really, because he was put up in the press conference pre-match — Tuchel clearly thinks he’s going to say the right thing and sort of motivate the troops. I just thought, wow, that’s so heartbreaking. He’s such a good character and person and leader. That’s absolutely devastating for him.”

The Brentford midfielder had been a prominent figure in England’s build-up to the Mexico game, fronting the pre-match press conference in a role that underlined his standing within Thomas Tuchel’s squad. His absence would deprive England of an experienced voice in the dressing room at a critical stage of the tournament.