PHILADELPHIA, UNITED STATES - JUNE 22: Ousmane Dembele (7) of France celebrates after scoring a goal during the 2026 FIFA World Cup First Stage Group I match between France and Iraq at Lincoln Financial Field (Philadelphia Stadium) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on June 22, 2026.

France-Iraq World Cup match resumes after 2-hour weather delay

22 hours ago
Anadolu / Getty

The World Cup match between France and Iraq was suspended at halftime on Monday due to a severe weather alert, as fans were told to take shelter from an approaching thunderstorm.

The game in Philadelphia, which kicked off at 5 p.m. ET, was delayed for over two hours, including the scheduled 15-minute halftime break.

The match resumed with the start of the second half at 8 p.m. ET.

France were leading 1-0 at the interval in the Group I contest thanks to a Kylian Mbappe goal in the 14th minute.

The match kicked off in dry conditions before rain began to fall late in the first half, and supporters were told as soon as the halftime whistle was blown to "exit the open seating area and seek shelter in covered areas of the stadium".

The vast majority of the 68,324-capacity Lincoln Financial Field, renamed Philadelphia Stadium for the tournament, is uncovered - leaving most of the capacity crowd to pack into the concourses.

It is the first match of this World Cup to be delayed by the threat of severe weather, with strict protocols in place in the United States when a storm is detected in the surrounding area.

Several games at last year's Club World Cup in the US were held up because of bad weather.

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