It was a difficult night for players, coaches and all the 69,000-odd supporters packed into Philadelphia Stadium.
By the end of it, France had secured a comfortable 3-0 win over Iraq and a place in the World Cup knockout rounds. But the match will be remembered just as much for the weather as for the football.
A routine 15-minute half-time break turned into a staggering 131-minute delay after severe thunderstorms swept across Philadelphia, creating the longest World Cup match in history by elapsed time.
The Night Football Stopped
France were leading 1-0 when Canadian referee Drew Fischer blew for half-time at 5:49 p.m. local time.
What followed was chaos.
Heavy rain, strong winds and lightning moved into the area, forcing officials to suspend proceedings.
Fans were instructed to leave exposed seating sections and seek shelter inside the stadium concourses, while players remained confined to their dressing rooms.
Under United States weather protocols, play must stop if lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius of the venue. Matches can only resume after a 30-minute lightning-free period, with every new strike resetting the countdown.
As a result, the restart kept being pushed back.
Play finally resumed at 8:00 p.m. local time — more than two hours after the teams had left the pitch.
Mbappe’s Century Night
Before the storm arrived, France had already taken control.
Kylian Mbappe opened the scoring in the 14th minute with a powerful strike from outside the box, beating Iraq goalkeeper Ahmed Basil. It was his third goal of the tournament and another milestone moment on his 100th international appearance.
The delay did little to slow him down.
Once play resumed, Ousmane Dembele capitalised on a defensive error and set up Mbappe for a simple finish to make it 2-0. Dembele then added a third himself as France cruised home.
Mbappe nearly completed a hat-trick before being substituted late on.
‘It Was A Very Long Evening’
The extended interruption created a unique challenge.
Players had already cooled down at half-time and were suddenly forced to warm up again after sitting around for more than two hours.
“It was a very long evening,” Mbappe admitted afterwards.
“We spent a lot of time waiting. It’s emotionally and mentally draining because we had to stay fully focused and engaged in the dressing room.
“Staying in the dressing room for an hour and a half — almost two hours — while maintaining focus is very difficult. It demands a lot.”
France coach Didier Deschamps tried to keep spirits high during the delay.
“We played cards,” he joked.
“No, well, we were waiting. We had slots that kept being pushed forward again.
“It’s a question of safety. You cannot fight against the rain and lightning.”
History Made For Unusual Reasons
By the time the final whistle sounded at 8:47 p.m. local time, nearly four hours had passed since kick-off.
France advanced to the last 32, Iraq moved closer to elimination, and the 2026 World Cup had experienced its first major weather disruption.
Most importantly, everyone left safely.
