England’s World Cup quarter-final against Norway is still scheduled to kick-off on time but weather experts are warning thunderstorms are threatening to delay Saturday night’s showdown in Miami.
Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions are due to face Norway at the Hard Rock Stadium in Florida, with kick-off scheduled for 10pm BST (5pm local time). However, forecasts suggest lightning and thunderstorms could have a major impact on one of the tournament’s biggest fixtures.
The US National Weather Service has issued a heat advisory for the Miami area, warning that temperatures could feel as high as 43C when humidity is taken into account. Saharan dust has also made conditions increasingly uncomfortable for both players and supporters across the region.
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But the biggest concern is the threat of thunderstorms. Under FIFA regulations, play must be automatically suspended if lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius of the stadium.
Should that happen, players would not be permitted to return to the pitch until at least 30 minutes after the last recorded lightning strike. Teams would then be given a further 15-minute warm-up before play could resume.
Fans in the UK will be hoping conditions ease before kick-off to avoid another weather-related delay that means watching a World Cup match into the early hours of the morning. The game is currently due to finish around midnight if it does not go to extra time, but a weather delay and the prospect of a penalty shootout would mean the winner not being declared until the early hours of Sunday.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist Chad Merrill believes thunderstorms are likely to develop around the stadium in the build-up to Saturday’s quarter-final.
The 5pm local kick-off could increase the risk of disruption, with afternoon thunderstorms a common occurrence in south Florida at this time of year. The hope is they pass in time for the match to go ahead as planned.
He told Sun Sport: “Right now we’ve got in Florida a sea breeze type of setup where you get these afternoon showers and thunderstorms that come off the Atlantic.
“And for Miami itself, they get thunderstorms during this time of the year that typically happen in the afternoon.
“It’ll come in during the morning, and then during the midday to early afternoon there will be a couple of thunderstorms in the Miami area. Those thunderstorms can produce a lot of lightning in Florida and brief heavy downpours.”
As things stand, kick-off remains at 10pm UK time but officials will monitor forecasts in the hours before the match and enact safety protocols if required.
It would not be the first weather-related interruption at this summer’s World Cup. England’s last-16 victory over Mexico was delayed by more than an hour because of relentless rain, while France’s group-stage clash with Iraq was suspended for two hours at half-time following torrential downpours.
The National Weather Service has also warned that the combination of extreme heat and humidity increases the risk of heat-related illness, urging supporters attending the match to take precautions.
A statement from the US National Weather Service said: “Drink plenty of fluids, stay in an air-conditioned room, stay out of the sun, and check up on relatives and neighbors.”
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