England vs Norway weather forecast: Will Three Lions be hit by more World Cup storm delays? | OneFootball

England head to Miami after memorable last-16 tie in Mexico City started an hour late due to lightning and heavy rain

England are certainly no strangers to a weather delay since arriving in North America for World Cup 2026 earlier this summer.

Fears over the potential for inclement conditions to impact their matches were realised almost straight away, when a 3-0 warm-up win over Costa Rica saw kick-off delayed by an hour due to storms in Orlando.

Two of their first four games at the tournament proper - against Croatia in Dallas and DR Congo in Atlanta - came under closed roofs in air-conditioned venues, while the rain experienced in both Boston and New Jersey for respective meetings with Ghana and Panama thankfully did not lead to any stoppages.

That run ended in Mexico City on Sunday night, when England’s much-hyped last-16 clash with co-hosts Mexico at the high-altitude Estadio Azteca was also delayed by an hour in getting underway due to extreme weather as lightning and heavy rain hit the capital.

Weather warning: England’s World Cup round-of-16 meeting with Mexico saw kick-off delayed by an hour

Such a wait did not adversely affect the Three Lions, who went on to produce one of their greatest overseas wins in World Cup history as Jude Bellingham’s quick-fire first-half brace and a penalty from Harry Kane saw them outlast the co-hosts, despite playing most of the second half with 10 men following the red card shown to Jarell Quansah.

Fears over the effects of the weather in Mexico City saw the game almost brought forward by six hours, but those plans were abandoned by FIFA on Friday after a furious reaction from both team camps and among matchgoing fans.

England’s next port of call at this World Cup is Miami, where they will face Norway in the quarter-finals on Saturday (July 11).

That match at Miami Stadium - AKA Hard Rock Stadium, the 64,478-capacity home of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins - kicks off at 10pm BST in the UK, which is far more comfortable than the Mexico clash, which did not get underway until 2am on Monday morning.

Miami are five hours behind the UK on Eastern Time in the USA, meaning the fixture will begin at 5pm locally.

An early look at the weather forecast for Saturday in Miami really varies depending on which service you check. The BBC currently has it being sunny with a gentle breeze at kick-off, but with thundery showers forecast at around 2pm.

Limited protection: Miami Stadium has an open-air canopy, rather than a full retractable roof

Getty

Concerningly, AccuWeather expects “a thunderstorm in spots in the afternoon” and warns that “lightning from nearby storms may impact the match”.

NBC 6 South Florida is also expecting isolated thunderstorms in Miami on Saturday, though the Weather Channel’s early week forecast is for “mainly sun” on Saturday, with a few afternoon clouds.

All the weather services are consistent in predicting hot temperatures of around 33 degrees around the time of kick-off, with humidity expected to be at approximately 58 per cent.

It is worth noting that Miami Stadium has a large open-air canopy that was installed during renovations back in 2016, rather than a fully enclosed retractable roof.

It is designed to protect the majority of the spectator seating areas from sun and rain, but offers no protection to some of the lower seating areas and the playing surface itself.

US policy on extreme weather at outside sporting events dictates that a match must be delayed or suspended if lightning is detected within an eight-mile radius of the stadium.

Players, coaches and officials must all return inside, while fans are told to evacuate the stands and shelter safely.

The area in question must be completely clear of lightning for a full 30 minutes before a game can safely resume.