EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) – Heavy rain and possible flooding were expected around New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, where Norway and Senegal were scheduled to play in a World Cup match Monday night.
US The National Weather Service has issued a flood watch. It covers parts of New York City and New Jersey, including Bergen County, where MetLife Stadium is located.
“A chance of rain showers and thunderstorms with lots of moisture are expected to move through the area this afternoon and tonight,” the NWS said. “These showers can produce up to about 2 inches of rainfall per hour. This rainfall can cause flash flooding, primarily in urban areas and areas with poor drainage.”
The approximately 80,000-seat outdoor venue, which opened in 2010, was built on steel pilings in a New Jersey wetland. Kickoff is scheduled for 8pm ET.
New York City Office of Emergency Management issues travel advisory.
“We ask everyone to plan ahead and allow extra time to travel safely.” New York City Mayor Zoran Mamdani said in a statement.. “No destination is worth risking your safety. If conditions worsen, please stay indoors and wait until it is safe to travel.”
There were no weather delays during the first 11 days of the tournament.
At last year’s Club World Cup, 6 of 63 games were postponed due to weather. Total time: 8 hours and 29 minutes.
The start of a friendly between England and Costa Rica in Orlando, Florida on June 10 was postponed by an hour due to storms, and a friendly between Saudi Arabia and Puerto Rico in Austin, Texas on June 5 was interrupted 21 minutes into the game due to weather and restarted approximately 90 minutes later.
The World Cup regulations state: “If a match is abandoned due to force majeure after kick-off, the match shall not be replayed in full but shall be restarted with the same scoreline from the moment play was interrupted.”
“When play is interrupted (e.g. free kick, throw-in, goal kick, corner kick, penalty kick, etc.), play shall be restarted from the point where play stopped,” it added. “If the match is stopped while the ball is still in play, it shall be restarted with a dropped ball from the position of the ball when play was stopped. The time, date, place and other matters of kick-off shall be determined by FIFA.”
Additionally, “FIFA reserves the right to cancel, reschedule or relocate one or more matches (or the entire FIFA World Cup) at its sole discretion for any reason, including due to force majeure or health, safety or security concerns.”
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AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/FIFA-World-Cup
