The kick-off for England’s World Cup semi-final match against Argentina could be delayed due to thunderstorms expected in Atlanta. Thomas Tuchel’s Three Lions are scheduled to take on the defending world champions at Atlanta Stadium, kicking off at 8pm UK time. The UK is five hours ahead of Atlanta, Georgia, and the BBC is currently predicting thunderstorms from 2pm to 7pm local time.
U.S. law requires FIFA to immediately stop play if lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius of the host stadium. This means the semi-final could be affected, even though the ground has a retractable roof and will remain closed during the match due to the threat of bad weather for fans outside before the match.
There will then be a delay of at least 30 minutes, which will reset each time there is a new lightning strike in the area. If lightning strikes, as predicted by the BBC, players will have to warm up for 15 minutes before play can resume, potentially causing significant delays.
If the storm is as severe as forecast, kickoff could be delayed by four hours, meaning the game could start around midnight on Thursday.
This is not the first time England’s match has been affected by thunderstorms. Kick-off for the last 16 match against Mexico was delayed by an hour, with the match only getting underway at 2pm UK time.
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There was also a suggestion that kick-off be brought forward from the original 1am to 7pm UK time, but FIFA opposed this decision.
England’s final warm-up match for the World Cup was also affected by thunderstorms, causing the kick-off to be delayed.
Bad weather has been a hot topic during the tournament, with England’s quarter-final victory over Norway taking place in 33 degree heat.
England manager Tuchel was not satisfied with his team’s performance in the win, but star man Jude Bellingham defended his team in the post-match interview.
“Maybe he (Tuchel) doesn’t know what it’s like to play in those conditions with (Erling) Haaland, (Martin) Odegaard, (Antonio) Nusa and (Alexander) Sorloth,” Bellingham said after the match. “They are not an easy team to play against.
“I can’t praise our players enough. You can’t win every game by running the ball and making 1,000 passes. Sometimes you have to come out with a muddy win. And we did that today.”
