France’s second World Cup game, against Iraq in Philadelphia, was suspended before the second half after thunderstorms wreaked havoc in the area.
Heavy rain had pelted spectators inside Lincoln Financial Field, which FIFA has renamed ‘Philadelphia Stadium’ for the tournament, as Kylian Mbappe and co, played through the miserable weather.
The game managed to make it to the halftime break without incident before the torrential storms rolled in over the City of Brotherly Love.
Warnings went up on the screens around the stadium at halftime ordering fans to evacuate their seats and seek shelter.
Meanwhile, the players stayed out of harm’s way, staying in the locker room as a delay of a minimum of 30 minutes was announced.
Play is not expected to resume until around 7pm ET with players reportedly set to return to the field at around 6:30pm to warm up before the second half can get underway.
France’s second World Cup game, against Iraq in Philadelphia, was suspended at halftime
Fans were ordered to evacuate the stands as severe weather warnings went up in the stadium
Torrential rain had pelted Philadelphia Stadium throughout the first half of the matchup
Before kickoff, signs had also gone up inside of the Linc, ordering anyone inside the venue to immediately find shelter.
Organizers also told fans that gates would be kept shut for longer than originally anticipated and told anyone heading to the stadium to stay away for now and remain indoors.
‘Due to inclement weather in the region, gates opening will be delayed,’ a statement said.
‘If you are not in the area, please do not travel to Philadelphia Stadium at this time. A new gates opening time will be communicated once the weather has passed. If you are near Philadelphia Stadium, please take shelter.’
Gates eventually opened around 30 minutes later than initially planned and the game kicked off at 5pm EST as scheduled.
A FIFA fan park in the city was also closed down due to the storms, which are forecast to hit the city throughout the afternoon and into the evening.
Nearly 100 miles away at MetLife Stadium, just outside of New York, storms and heavy rain are also expected to hit ahead of Norway vs Senegal later in the day.
A watch party for that game, scheduled to be held at the venue of the US Open tennis tournament in Queens, was called off due to the bad weather.
France opened their tournament in New York against Senegal, running out 3-1 winners with star striker Kylian Mbappe scoring twice.
