What is FIFA's plan for extreme weather at the World Cup for Mexico - Ecuador?
· Yahoo Sports
When FIFA awarded the U.S., Canada and Mexico with the 2026 World Cup, the weather conditions were among the biggest issues around the tournament (well, outside of the shameless greed and political landscape). On Tuesday night, we will see those weather concerns play out. Five of the 16 stadiums do have a roof, the other 11 have needed to plan around the potential of severe weather.
And ahead of Tuesday's game between Mexico and Ecuador in Mexico City, the forecast looked pretty bad. In addition to rain, there's lightning in the area ahead of the 9 p.m. ET kickoff.
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Typically, soccer does play through rain. But severe weather, fan/player safety and the field conditions do impact the calculus during the World Cup. The World Cup Final is slated to be held at MetLife Stadium, and players are already taking issue with the degrading playing surface.
FIFA's policy for extreme weather at the World Cup
FIFA does have a plan in place for extreme weather.
When it comes to lightning, the familiar 8-mile radius rule is in place from other U.S. sports. Via Reuters:
Under U.S. protocols, play is suspended immediately if lightning is detected within an eight-mile (13-km) radius of a stadium and can only resume after 30 minutes have passed without a further strike.
Any new lightning detection resets the countdown, meaning delays can stretch for several hours if thunderstorms persist. FIFA has no fixed time limit after which a match must be abandoned, with each situation assessed on a case-by-case basis.
As for potential postponements, FIFA will handle that decision on a game-by-game basis. If the weather doesn't clear or if the field is unplayable, a suspended match could be moved to the following day. That is an outcome that FIFA would like to avoid.
This article originally appeared on For The Win: What is FIFA's plan for extreme weather at the World Cup for Mexico - Ecuador?