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England’s final warm-up match before the World Cup faced a setback as heavy rain turned the pitch into a waterlogged mess at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Originally scheduled for a 9 p.m. BST start, the Three Lions were set to clash with Costa Rica in their second friendly on U.S. soil, following a narrow 1-0 victory over New Zealand on Saturday. However, the kickoff was postponed until 10 p.m. BST when conditions eventually allowed play to commence.
This match was crucial for coach Thomas Tuchel, providing him a last opportunity to evaluate his squad’s performance before their World Cup journey begins on June 17 against Croatia. The weather conditions, however, cast uncertainty over the event.
At approximately 7 p.m. BST, with the stadium empty, a message on the large screen warned attendees of nearby lightning strikes, advising them to take cover.
In an empty stadium at around 7pm BST, a message was displayed on a big screen inside the stadium that read: ‘Lightning strikes. Please seek shelter.’
Other images from the ground showed the pitch waterlogged as officials rushed to get the game kicked off on time.
And, at 7:41pm BST, the FA confirmed the game had been delayed with a statement that read: ‘Today’s game against Costa Rica has been delayed due to weather conditions in Orlando.
England’s final World Cup warm-up match was delayed due to torrential rain in Florida
England fans had started to make their way to the stadium as the rain continued to fall in Florida
‘We’ll provide further updates as soon as we have them.’
The then said the game would kick off at 10pm BST ‘subject to there being no further lightning strikes in the area.’
It is understood that the team stayed at the hotel initially, but did make their way to the ground at around 8:30pm BST. The kick-off time in Florida was 4pm – now moved to 5pm.
Groups of fans had started to make their way to the stadium, kitted out in England colours.
The type of weather is not uncommon in the area. Rules state that if there is lightning strike within eight miles, the game cannot be played for 30 minutes after.
Weather reports suggest another strike is planned for during the game.
Fans, though, flooded into the ground with a clean-up mission underway – and the impressive drainage system getting rid of most of the water. The game kicked off at 10pm BST as planned.
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