The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the biggest tournament in football history. For the first time ever, the competition will be jointly hosted by three countries: the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The tournament will also feature a record 48 national teams and 104 matches across 16 host cities.
Mexico will make history by becoming the first nation to host or co-host the men’s World Cup three times following the 1970 and 1986 tournaments.
Meanwhile, the expanded format means the eventual winners will need to play eight matches instead of the traditional seven to lift the trophy.
The tournament will run for 39 days. It will begin at the Estadio Azteca on June 11. The final will take place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on July 19.
However, despite the excitement surrounding the competition, FIFA are already facing growing concerns over major weather-related disruptions across several stadiums in the United States.
Much of the discussion around the tournament has focused on extreme heat conditions in North America.
Yet another weather issue could create even bigger scheduling problems during the World Cup.
According to The Athletic, severe thunderstorms across the United States could lead to lengthy delays during matches because of strict American safety regulations.
If that happens during a World Cup match, players, coaches, and officials would need to leave the pitch immediately. Fans inside the stadium would also be moved to designated safe areas.
Once they detect lightning, a 30-minute countdown begins before play can restart.
However, if another lightning strike occurs before the countdown finishes, the timer resets completely back to zero. That process could continue for hours depending on weather conditions.
The issue already affected FIFA competitions last summer.
During the FIFA Club World Cup, Benfica’s match against Chelsea in Charlotte, North Carolina faced a delay of nearly two hours because of severe weather near the stadium.
The game eventually lasted more than four and a half hours in total.
FIFA reportedly do not have any official regulation explaining how long a delay must continue before calling off a match. Instead, they will reportedly handle decisions on a case-by-case basis.
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