France vs Iraq suspended at half-time as lightning storm strikes Philadelphia

France’s World Cup Group I match against Iraq was suspended at half-time on Monday after a lightning storm swept across Philadelphia, forcing officials to halt play at Lincoln Financial Field and evacuate supporters from open seating areas.

Kylian Mbappé had put France ahead after just 14 minutes, but with a thunderstorm closing in just before the interval, the second half was delayed indefinitely as safety protocols were activated. Fans inside the stadium were instructed to leave the open bowl and seek shelter in the main concourse.

BBC presenter Kelly Cates confirmed the nature of the delay, explaining: “There is a delay to the start of the second-half — there’s what they call lightning activity in the area around the stadium in Philadelphia. They’re going to wait until that passes. Fans are being asked to take shelter outside of the stadium bowl itself. There are really strong safety protocols in place in the United States. The minute there hasn’t been any lightning activity for 15 minutes, the players will come out and then they will warm up for 15 minutes, and then the second-half will get underway.”

Severe storms had already disrupted the build-up to kick-off, with supporters at one point advised not to travel to the ground. Lauren Lambrugo, chief operating officer of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, had outlined the contingency plan ahead of the tournament: “They’ll start to evacuate the stadium to the main concourse and seek emergency shelter, and then it has to wait 30 minutes prior to them bringing everybody back on the field.”

France manager Didier Deschamps had been asked about the prospect of rain at his pre-match press conference, and appeared unconcerned. “We have played in the heat so, if there is some rain, good, because the grass will be faster and the quality will be better, much better than the one in New York,” he said. “The pitch in New York was really tough — it took a lot out of the players’ muscles.”

France came into the match on the back of a 3-1 opening win over Senegal and, with Mbappé, Michael Olise and Ousmane Dembélé all in their squad, a victory would secure their place in the knockout rounds. They currently sit second in Group I behind Norway, who recorded a 5-1 win in their opening fixture. France last lifted the World Cup in 2018.