England vs Costa Rica: Thunderstorms could disrupt final World Cup warm-up friendly | OneFootball

Stormy weather is forecast ahead of kick-off in Orlando on Wednesday

The Three Lions - who have been training in West Palm Beach and beat New Zealand 1-0 in Tampa on Saturday - complete their preparations for the upcoming tournament with a game against Costa Rica at the Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando on Wednesday.

The forecast for Orlando on Wednesday afternoon includes thunderstorms around an hour before kick-off, with temperatures around 30 degrees celsius that will feel more like between 32 and 34 degrees with the humidity.

The threat of thunderstorms will lead to fears that England’s meeting with Costa Rica could yet be potentially disrupted or delayed.

Current US thunderstorm protocol around sporting fixtures dictates that a match must be suspended for 30 minutes if lightning is detected within eight miles of an outdoor stadium, with players and coaches returning to the dressing rooms and fans told to evacuate the stands and retreat to safe shelter.

An area must be clear of lightning for 30 minutes before a restart is permitted.

England face Costa Rica in their final World Cup warm-up friendly at Inter&Co Stadium in Orlando

Getty

There were six games delayed in such fashion during last year’s inaugural summer Club World Cup in the US, including Chelsea’s last-16 tie against Benfica in Charlotte, North Carolina, which took more than four hours to complete having been suspended for almost two hours as the result of extreme weather conditions.

Climate experts have warned that a number of the 104 games at the first expanded 48-team World Cup could be disrupted by extreme weather, while many others will be played in searing heat and humidity across the United States, Canada and Mexico.

England’s opening fixture in Group L against Croatia on June 17 takes place at 3pm local time in Arlington, Texas, where the heat will certainly be a factor.

After facing Croatia, England - who will be based in Kansas City, Missouri throughout the World Cup - move on to face Ghana in Foxborough, Massachusetts on June 23, before finishing off the group stage against Panama in East Rutherford, New Jersey on June 27.

Temperatures hit a high of 33 degrees during England’s win over New Zealand, which was played amid concerns over the state of the newly-laid pitch, with a three-minute hydration break in each half - something that will occur in every World Cup match this summer in the interests of player welfare.

England previously saw a friendly against Honduras in the build-up to the 2014 World Cup delayed by 40 minutes due to a storm in Miami.