England face France in the World Cup third-place play-off on Saturday night, but the match could be delayed or canceled if Miami Stadium is hit by thunderstorms.
Thomas Tuchel’s England face France on Saturday (Image: Getty Images)
The third-place match between England and France may be rescheduled due to fears of thunderstorms. The two teams are scheduled to meet at Miami Stadium on Saturday at 10pm (UK time) in a match that neither team wants to play.
Thomas Tuchel’s England lost to Argentina, while Didier Deschamps’ France lost to Spain, despite both starting the semi-final match as favorites to advance to Sunday’s final.
This means England and France will take part in what FIFA calls the “Bronze Final” in Miami, but the match could be delayed or interrupted as thunderstorms are forecast near kick-off.
According to the BBC weather forecast, “showers with thunder and calm winds” are expected for three to five hours before kick-off. These predictions may change as the game approaches.
FIFA regulations state that if lightning occurs within eight miles of the venue, play must be canceled or postponed. The match can only be restarted 30 minutes after the last lightning strike.
Several matches this World Cup have already experienced similar hold-ups due to lightning and storms. The Round of 16 match between England and Mexico was postponed by an hour due to bad weather near the Azteca Stadium.
England face France on Saturday (Image: FIFA via Getty Images)
In fully enclosed venues like Dallas, Atlanta, Houston, and Vancouver, this forecast won’t be a problem. However, the Miami ground does not have a fully retractable roof, meaning the match between England and France will be exposed to the weather.
England had a chance to secure their best World Cup result since 1966 with victory over Les Bleus, after falling short in their previous third-place play-offs against Italy in 1990 and 2018.
However, beleaguered manager Thomas Tuchel may find it difficult to motivate his team to take advantage of the occasion, given the heartbreaking defeat to Argentina in the semi-finals.
Following the defeat, he said: “Neither our players nor the French players want to play this game. They want a 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.”
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