The France-Iraq match was halted for more than two hours due to heavy rain and storm, although France later won 3-0 and secured its place in the knockouts.

FIFA World Cup 2026

Football is considered a sport that can be played in almost all weather conditions. Whether it's raining or cold, matches usually continue. However, the match between France and Iraq at the FIFA World Cup 2026 witnessed a rare event. The match had to be stopped due to bad weather. In the second group match of the FIFA World Cup 2026, France faced Iraq at the Philadelphia Stadium in Pennsylvania, USA. Usually, the half-time break in a football match is only 15 minutes, but in this match, the break extended to more than two hours.

The France and Iraq match was stopped midway.

An unusual situation occurred during the FIFA World Cup 2026 match between France and Iraq. The match was halted due to bad weather, a rare occurrence in major tournaments like the World Cup. Heavy rain and a strong storm forced the match to be halted. The second half began approximately two hours and ten minutes after the first half ended, whereas under normal circumstances, the halftime interval is only 15 minutes.

After many years, the weather stopped a World Cup match.

This marked the first time in the FIFA World Cup 2026 that a match had to be stopped due to bad weather. It had been decades since a World Cup match had to be stopped due to weather. Officials initially reported a 30-minute delay, including the regular 15-minute halftime, but the weather failed to improve, resulting in an extended wait.

What does FIFA rule say about the weather ?

According to FIFA rules, if lightning strikes within an 8-mile radius of the stadium, the match is stopped for at least 30 minutes. If lightning strikes again during this time, the time count restarts. Approximately 1 hour and 40 minutes later, both teams returned to the field for warm-ups. Ground staff were also seen removing water from the field during this time.

France registered a resounding 3-0 win.

After the match resumed, France maintained their dominance and defeated Iraq 3-0. France led 1-0 in the first half thanks to a goal from Kylian Mbappé. Mbappé added another goal in the second half, while Ousmane Dembélé also added to the scoresheet. With this victory, France secured their place in the knockout stages.