Breaking News: Thunderstorm paralyzes France-Iraq match.

GD&TĐ - Torrential rain and lightning near Philadelphia Stadium (USA) caused a one-hour interruption to the France-Iraq match, forcing spectators to evacuate urgently.

The incident began at minute 35, when heavy rain suddenly poured down on Philadelphia Stadium in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on the morning of June 23 ( Hanoi time).

In the uncovered stands, thousands of spectators hastily donned raincoats, grabbed their belongings, and scrambled for shelter from the strong winds.

The match continued until the end of the first half, but the thunderstorm showed no signs of subsiding. Immediately after the halftime whistle, the stadium's loudspeaker system broadcast a warning about dangerous weather, urging fans to leave the stands and move to a safe area.

The second half therefore could not begin as planned. Initially, the game was only announced to be delayed by 15 minutes, but the subsequent break lasted for more than an hour, and the weather warning in Philadelphia had not been lifted.

The incident occurred despite weather concerns that had been brewing hours earlier. Heavy rain and lightning in the area caused the stadium gates to open about 30 minutes late, fans were advised not to arrive yet, and staff inside had to seek shelter.

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The sky briefly cleared before kick-off, easing concerns about thunderstorms. However, bad weather returned sooner than predicted, plunging the match into chaos in the first half.

According to safety procedures, FIFA closely monitors weather conditions. If lightning appears within a radius of approximately 13 km around the stadium, the match must be immediately stopped to ensure the safety of players, spectators, and staff.

This was the 42nd of 104 matches at the 2026 World Cup , and the first match of the tournament to be directly interrupted by severe weather in North America.

Before the rain disrupted the tempo, Kylian Mbappe put France ahead in the 14th minute from an assist by Michael Olise. This goal brought Mbappe's tally at World Cup finals to 15, keeping him in close pursuit of Lionel Messi's 18.

According to local warnings, strong winds could persist until 5:45 AM on June 23rd (Hanoi time). Television stations anticipate players will restart around 5:40 AM, before the match resumes at 6:00 AM or later.

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France were leading Iraq 1-0 when the match was interrupted.

Source: https://giaoducthoidai.vn/nong-sam-set-lam-te-liet-tran-phap-iraq-post782487.html