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England’s World Cup preparations have encountered a major setback as their final warm-up match against Costa Rica was postponed due to extreme weather conditions. A powerful tropical storm swept through Orlando, Florida, flooding the pitch and raising serious safety concerns just hours before the scheduled start.

Storm disrupts Orlando plans

The Three Lions were set to take on Costa Rica at Inter&Co Stadium on Wednesday evening, but the kick-off was significantly delayed. Photos from the venue showed large pools of water collecting on the playing surface as torrential rain disrupted Thomas Tuchel’s final pre-tournament arrangements.

Officials quickly informed supporters of the situation through official communication channels. England’s media team confirmed the delay, announcing that the game would begin one hour later than initially planned.

“Following a pitch inspection at the stadium, today’s match against Costa Rica will now kick off at 10pm (UK time) – subject to there being no further lightning strikes in the area,” read the statement from England’s account.

Supporters asked to seek shelter

Safety remained the top priority as lightning activity was detected close to the stadium. Stadium screens displayed urgent messages directing fans to “take shelter” and avoid exposed areas until the storm passed. Local weather warnings were issued throughout the region, creating uncertainty over when the match would eventually commence. Despite the heavy rain, officials expressed hope that the friendly could still go ahead later in the evening, while ground staff worked tirelessly to clear standing water from the pitch.

Previous weather-related disruptions in the US

This latest incident is not the first time that severe weather has interrupted major football fixtures in the United States. During last year’s Club World Cup, several matches experienced similar delays, prompting questions about the suitability of hosting summer tournaments in certain American regions. Chelsea’s meeting with Benfica was one of six matches affected, eventually taking four hours and 38 minutes to complete.

After that experience, then-Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca expressed his frustration, saying, “If you suspend seven, eight games, that means that probably is not the right place to do this competition.” Since then, FIFA has taken a case-by-case approach to fixtures in the Gulf Coast and Southeast areas of the US, aiming to better manage the recurring risk of thunderstorms.

Heat and humidity pose additional challenges

Beyond the immediate storm threat, England’s players are also dealing with high humidity and temperatures surpassing 30 degrees Celsius. As a precaution, mandatory water breaks have been introduced in both halves to safeguard players during their World Cup campaign.

However, captain Harry Kane has downplayed concerns about the North American climate. Speaking after a recent warm-up victory over New Zealand, the striker remarked, “The drinks breaks help. A lot of people are talking about the heat but I don’t think it’s going to be as big a factor as what some people say. Me personally and a few of the boys who have been training for a while in it felt fine today. We’re all athletes, we’re all professionals and have played in warm weather conditions before.”