Lightning suspended World Cup match in Philadelphia for over two hours

A World Cup group stage match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia was suspended at half-time for over two hours due to lightning and heavy rain. France finished the match with a 3-0 victory, with captain Kylian Mbappé scoring twice in his 100th international appearance.

The France vs Iraq World Cup group stage match in Philadelphia was suspended on Saturday at half-time for more than two hours as lightning and torrential rain moved to the area around the stadium. More than 68,000 spectators were directed to indoor areas of the stadium for safety.

Players waited differently

France's players passed the lengthy break in the dressing room, joking about playing cards. Head coach Didier Deschamps acknowledged that they simply had to wait and be ready to resume play at any moment. "It's a matter of safety. You cannot fight against rain and lightning. These were very unusual circumstances and I hope they don't happen again," said Deschamps.

Iraq head coach Graham Arnold approached the situation more tactically: he used the long break to analyze video footage from the first half and emphasized to his players that the team that could mentally refocus faster despite the long wait would be the winners. "The two-hour break in the match clearly made things much harder for the players. This is the first time I've experienced something like this as a coach or player," Arnold said, adding that the long break may have also contributed to Iraq's errors.

Mbappé's milestone

Captain Kylian Mbappé stressed that such a situation requires exceptional mental resilience from the players. "Sitting in the dressing room for one and a half to two hours while trying to maintain concentration is extremely difficult. It requires a lot from both players and coaches," said Mbappé.

Before resuming the match, players had to warm up again, but the restart was delayed further as stadium staff had to remove standing water from the pitch. The match ended with France winning 3-0, and this was reason for double celebration for Mbappé, as he scored two goals in his 100th international appearance.

According to US safety regulations, a match is automatically stopped if lightning is detected within approximately 13 kilometres of the stadium.