Will the weather disrupt the meeting between France and Norway (Friday at 9:00 p.m.) as announced by the local media? At present, we know that the 2026 World Cup may indeed face a question of sporting fairness due to the weather protocol applied in the United States. Certainly, the last two matches of each group are played at the same time in order to avoid any confusion between the teams, but American regulations require the interruption of a match for at least 30 minutes as soon as a lightning strike is detected within a radius of 8 miles (approximately 13 km) around the stadium.
If this strict system has already led to interruptions, as during France-Iraq (3-0), this could also be the case this Friday evening. Asked by RMC Sport on the potential consequences of these interruptions, FIFA revealed its explanations on the progress of the matches of the last day. The body assures that nothing will be changed, but reminds that “in accordance with the 2026 FIFA World Cup regulations, the final round of group matches is scheduled with simultaneous kick-off times and that the safety of all participants and spectators will be prioritized“. Concretely, there will be no impact on matches which will take place in another stadium despite the delay.
