Urgent. Thunderstorms delay Mexico-Ecuador kick-off

Due to bad weather conditions, the start of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Round 32 between Mexico and Ecuador was postponed after thunder and lightning forced the organizers to postpone the starting whistle minutes before the start of the match.

The match was due to start at 4:00 a.m. Mecca time at Mexico City’s famed Azteca Stadium, but weather conditions prevented that, leaving thousands of fans in the stands waiting for a final decision on the kick-off date, the paper said.The sun“British.

The weekend will also host one of the round of 16 matches at the Azteca Stadium, which could see the participation of Mexico if they qualify, as they face the winner of the England-DRC match.

This is not the first time that weather conditions have affected the 2026 World Cup matches, as the France-Iraq match, which was played earlier in Philadelphia, was previously stopped for two hours due to severe thunderstorms.

In that match, fans were asked to take shelter in the stadium at the end of the first half and players returned to the dressing rooms before the match resumed after the weather improved, with both teams having to play new warm-ups due to a long stoppage.

The tournament’s established safety rules state that games must be stopped or postponed immediately after lightning or lightning is detected within an eight-mile (about 13 kilometers) radius of the stadium, with the condition that play is not allowed to resume until at least 15 minutes have passed since the last lightning strike.

Despite thunderstorms threatening a number of tournaments over the past fortnight, most have started on time, while organizers of the Mexico-Ecuador clash are waiting for the weather to improve before giving the go-ahead for the clash.

The winner of the match will face England in the round of 16 qualifier against Democratic Republic of the Congo, with the opponent to be determined after Wednesday night’s match.