The start of the second half of the Group I match between France and Iraq was postponed on Monday due to a thunderstorm in Philadelphia (United States).
Just as the first half was ending, the stadium’s public address system instructed fans to “leave the outdoor seating area and seek shelter inside the stadium.” According to safety protocols, once the alert is activated, the match must be paused for at least 30 minutes. At halftime, France leads Iraq 1-0 thanks to a goal by Kylian Mbappé in the 14th minute.
Philadelphia on alert: Weather forces game to be called off
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The match must be paused for at least 30 minutes
NuevaOnda.com
France vs. Iraq is the first match in this World Cup to be suspended due to weather conditions.
This is an issue that has caused a great deal of concern, since much of the United States is prone to thunderstorms at this time of year.
The National Weather Service (NWS) had issued a tornado warning for the Philadelphia area shortly before the suspension.
(Filed as: France vs. Iraq suspended due to a storm).
Mbappé Reaches 100 Games for France
Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé played his 100th game for the French national team—for which he is already the all-time leading scorer—on Monday in France’s 2026 World Cup match against Iraq.
Mbappé, 27, was a standout in Didier Deschamps’ starting lineup for the match, which was played at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (United States), home of the NFL’s Philadelphia Eagles.
The forward reached a milestone that only nine other players have achieved with the French national team, a list led by Hugo Lloris with 145 international appearances.
The others are Lilian Thuram (142), Olivier Giroud (137), Antoine Griezmann (137), Thierry Henry (123), Marcel Desailly (116), Zinedine Zidane (108), Patrick Vieira (107), and Deschamps himself (103) — (Filed under: France vs. Iraq postponed due to storm).
With information from EFE
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