The match for third place between England and France could be played out in the chaotic final stages of the World Cup. The two countries will go head-to-head in a match that no one wants to play after losing to Argentina and Spain in the semi-finals respectively. The match will take place at Miami Stadium, with kick-off scheduled for Saturday night at 10pm (UK time).
Thunderstorms are expected to hit the city before and after the match, potentially causing the match to be postponed or canceled if it has already started. According to the BBC’s forecast, “thunderstorms and moderate winds” are expected for three to five hours before kick-off. These timings can change, for better or worse, as the game approaches.
Under FIFA rules, if lightning occurs within eight miles of the stadium, play must be stopped or delayed. The game can only be restarted if 30 minutes have passed since the last lightning strike.
Weather forecasts are not an issue in fully enclosed stadiums like Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, and Vancouver. However, the Miami venue does not have a fully retractable roof, meaning the match between England and France will be at the mercy of inclement weather.
England have lost their previous third-place matches against Italy and Belgium in 1990 and 2018, but a win against Les Bleus would secure their best World Cup finish since 1966.
However, given the heartbreaking nature of the semi-final defeat to Argentina, under-pressure manager Thomas Tuchel may struggle to inspire his players to rise to the occasion.
After the defeat, he said: “None of our players or the French players want to play in this match. They want the final and we did everything we could to achieve that.”
“Everyone plays to win the World Cup and that’s the reality. We have one day less recovery time than France, but we will do it with professionalism.”
“We will have to wait four years before we can participate in the next World Cup. Of course, reaching the semi-finals is already an achievement in itself.
“Many footballing powers are eliminated before the semi-finals. It’s a great achievement, but at the moment no one wants to hear that, myself included, because we are very hard on ourselves.”
