Reece James tells England fans to embrace weather delays ahead of World Cup 2026

Reece James has warned England fans that weather-related delays will be an unavoidable part of the 2026 World Cup in the United States, speaking after England’s pre-tournament friendly against Costa Rica in Orlando was pushed back by an hour due to a thunderstorm.

The hold-up left supporters inside the stadium sheltering from torrential rain while England’s players waited in their hotel roughly ten minutes away before receiving the all-clear to travel to the ground. It is a familiar scenario in American sport, where strict regulations prohibit anyone from being outdoors for 30 minutes following a lightning strike, and matches cannot resume until there has been 30 minutes without lightning within a ten-mile radius.

FIFA is already anticipating delays throughout the tournament given the range of climates across the host cities, though officials have confirmed every match will be completed rather than abandoned.

James, who captains Chelsea, drew directly on his experience at last summer’s Club World Cup, when Chelsea were taken off the pitch for nearly two hours during their match against Benfica. The Portuguese side equalised immediately after the restart, having trailed 1-0 with five minutes remaining, before Chelsea eventually won a game that lasted four hours and 38 minutes in total.

“It’s just completely different to playing in Europe, with the delays, the weather,” James said. “We try to pass on information to the rest of the team and stay patient and stay calm. We weren’t at the stadium while it was happening, we stayed in a hotel a bit longer. You just rest a bit more and just chill and wait for when we get the call to leave.”

The right-back acknowledged that in-game stoppages present a different psychological challenge to pre-match delays. “Having to stop at 85 minutes when you are 1-0 up was difficult last year,” he said. “Hopefully we don’t have to put up with that this year.”

Beyond the weather discussion, James underlined his readiness for the tournament itself. He is widely regarded as Thomas Tuchel’s first-choice right-back — a relationship forged during their time together at Chelsea — and his performance against Costa Rica suggested he is in strong form and fully fit after a period disrupted by injury.