Why France vs Iraq was suspended for two hours in FIFA World Cup 2026

Fans at France vs Iraq in the Group Stage of the FIFA World Cup 2026 had to wait a very long time for the second-half.

While the match started at a ferocious pace, the momentum certainly didn’t last.

France vs Iraq was suspended over ‘Lightning activity’

France vs Iraq kicked off at 10 PM in the UK (5PM local), and viewers who made the decision to stay up were quickly treated with Kylian Mbappe scoring an excellent goal in the 14th minute.

However, the excitement of the game only lasted as long as the weather remained reasonable. Towards the end of the first half, rain started pouring down, with football fans left soaked.

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Luckily for the players, half-time wasn’t too far away, with the 22 athletes able to quickly run inside for shelter at 10:52 PM (5:52 PM local). However, due to ‘lightning activity’ the match was suspended for at least half an hour.

Lucky fans managed to wear ponchos, with many cheering as the weather started to ease by 11:29 PM (6:29 PM local).

At 11:42 PM (6:42 local) half-time had officially lasted longer than the first-half, yet the spectators remained positive.

Following safety procedures FIFA continued to delay. Eventually, fans were told the game would recommence at 00:30 AM (7:30 PM local). This time was later pushed back to 1:01 AM (8:01 PM local), where proceedings finally got back underway, following a two hour delay.

Luckily, the fans who decided to remain in the stadium were rewarded in an instant, with Mbappe bagging his second goal in the 54th minute, before Ousmane Dembele hit the back of the net in the 66th minute.

Featured Image Credit: Getty