England’s final World Cup warm-up delayed after heavy thunderstorm hits Orlando

Thomas Tuchel’s side were due to face the Central American outfit at 4pm eastern time (9pm BST) but the pitch at the Inter&Co Stadium was heavily waterlogged an hour-and-a-half before the start.

England’s final pre-World Cup friendly with Costa Rica was delayed (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Wed, 10 Jun, 2026 - 20:15

Jonathan Veal and Simon Peach, Press Association, Orlando

England’s final pre-World Cup friendly against Costa Rica has been delayed after a heavy thunderstorm hit Orlando.

A thunderstorm descended at around 1pm local time and battered the Florida city relentlessly, with torrential rain and lightning filling the skies.

Thomas Tuchel’s side were due to face the Central American outfit at 4pm eastern time (9pm BST) but the pitch at the Inter&Co Stadium was heavily waterlogged an hour-and-a-half before the start.

England v Costa Rica – International Friendly – Inter&Co Stadium — The goalmouth area at the Inter&Co Stadium was waterlogged (Bradley Collyer/PA)

Although the pitch drained quickly, kick-off was still put back 20 minutes as rain and inclement weather remained in the area.

That could be further delayed by another 30 minutes if there is another lightning strike within an eight-mile radius of the stadium.

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A Football Association statement read: “Today’s game against Costa Rica has been delayed due to weather conditions in Orlando. We’ll provide further updates as soon as we have them.”

England fans in the area took shelter where they could, including some going inside a local library, while others had to risk the elements.