Mercedes-Benz Stadium confirms England vs Argentina semi-final starts on time despite Atlanta storm threat

England’s World Cup semi-final against Argentina will kick off as planned at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta on July 15, despite forecasts warning of lightning and stormy conditions across the city throughout the afternoon and early evening.

Officials at the venue moved swiftly to quell concerns, pointing to the stadium’s retractable roof as the key factor. “Since the stadium is covered, the match is not weather-dependent so it will be played as scheduled,” a Mercedes-Benz Stadium spokesperson said. “No, it won’t be delayed, the game will start as planned regardless of weather.”

The reassurance comes after England’s last-16 clash against Mexico at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City was pushed back by an hour due to weather — a delay that did not ultimately derail the Three Lions, who won that match 3-2.

The spokesperson added that gates opening three hours before kick-off would allow staff to accelerate fan entry if storms were detected nearby, though they were clear that crowd flow would not hold up the start. “The roof allows us the ability to play on time regardless of weather,” they said.

England are chasing a place in just their second World Cup final since 1966 and what would be their first ever on foreign soil. Victory over Argentina would set up a final in New Jersey on Sunday against either France or Spain.

It will be England’s first meeting with Argentina since 2005, with Lionel Messi the obvious focal point of attention. Goalkeeper Jordan Pickford acknowledged the scale of the occasion while urging his side not to fixate on one player.

“He has scored so many goals and contributed to so many over his career. It’s great to finally come up against him after so long, and watching him as a kid,” Pickford told the media at England’s training base on Monday. “We all know how good Messi is but we also know how good Argentina are. We can’t solely rely on [stopping] Messi. We’ve got to focus on their other strengths and the weaknesses we can take advantage of.”