WASHINGTON, June 23 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- France’s 2026 World Cup clash with Iraq finally resumed Monday night after a weather suspension lasting more than two hours in Philadelphia following lightning activity near the stadium, Anadolu Ajansi reported.
FIFA halted play at the end of the first half due to safety concerns as storms approached the area. The match eventually restarted once conditions were deemed safe.
Announcements over the public address system instructed fans to leave their seats and move to covered areas inside the stadium.
"Please exit the open seating area and seek shelter in the stadium as directed by the stadium staff. A severe thunderstorm is approaching," said a message displayed on the stadium scoreboard.
When play resumed, France maintained their dominance, taking a 3-0 lead over Iraq. Kylian Mbappe scored twice — once before the delay and once after — while Ousmane Dembele added a third goal to extend the advantage.
Mbappe has now scored 16 World Cup goals, leaving him two short of the new all-time record of 18 set by Argentina's Lionel Messi earlier Monday.
Co-hosted by the US, Mexico and Canada, the 2026 FIFA World Cup began on June 11 and will feature 48 nations competing through July 19.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
BERNAMA provides up-to-date authentic and comprehensive news and information which are disseminated via BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 channels and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching) frequencies.
Follow us on social media :
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter : @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TikTok : @bernamaofficial
