World Cup sees first weather delay, with France-Iraq game in Philadelphia paused for 2 hours

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Heavy rain and thunderstorms prompted a rare World Cup weather delay on Monday, when the halftime break during a match between France and Iraq lasted 2 hours, 10 minutes.

It was the first rain delay of the tournament and the first time in at least several decades that a World Cup match was delayed midgame because of inclement weather. Halftime began at 5:50 p.m. EDT and the game resumed at 8 p.m. — 1 hour, 55 minutes longer than the scheduled 15-minute halftime break.

France played through the rain and muck to beat Iraq 3-0 behind two goals from Kylian Mbappé.

“It’s a question of safety,” France coach Didier Deschamps said. “You can’t fight against rain and lightning. We will stick to the local laws. We have to adapt. These are very special circumstances, and I do hope they will not happen again.”

There was also heavy rain ahead of Monday night’s game between Norway and Senegal in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which started on time.

With France leading 1-0 at halftime, scoreboard messages directed the crowd at Lincoln Financial Field to take shelter in the stadium’s covered areas, warning that a severe storm was on the way. Sheets of rain fell through halftime as thousands of fans huddled in the concourse and under balconies.

The stoppage was initially expected to extend the halftime break by 15 minutes. As the delay dragged on, stadium officials announced that “the game will resume when deemed safe.”

The teams returned to the field to warm up after about 1 hour, 40 minutes, prompting cheers from the crowd. Crews used squeegees to push standing water toward the sideline of the swampy field.

A rule used by FIFA pauses games for 30 minutes if lightning is detected within 8 miles. Each strike resets the clock.

France and Iraq played through a downpour that started in the 37th minute. Fans donned ponchos and most stayed in their seats until they were told to find shelter at halftime.

“I think that’s out of our control, so we just needed to adapt, and I think we did that pretty well,” French defender Jules Kounde said.

France scored twice in the second half, which did not include the much-debated hydration break that was added for this tournament.

“I think it’s the first time I experienced it in football as a coach or a player,” Iraq coach Graham Arnold said of the delay. “It obviously made it much harder for the players. I told the players, who’s going to switch on mentally?”

FIFA long had a reputation for continuing matches even through extreme weather. A 2014 game between the U.S. and Germany continued in Brazil even after torrential downpour that flooded parts of the surrounding city.

World Cup regulations do not specify weather conditions that would prompt a delay to the start of matches or an interruption. However, the regulations say “in the case of a match being abandoned as a result of force majeure after it has already kicked off … the match shall recommence at the minute at which play was interrupted rather than being replayed in full, and with the same scoreline.”

AP Sports Writer Dan Gelston contributed to this report.

AP World Cup: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-world-cup

A photographer shelters from the rain as play is suspended during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

A sign advising fans of a weather delay is displayed during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

Fans take cover from the rain during a thunderstorm warning in the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Heavy rain falls during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Derik Hamilton)

A sign advising fans of a weather delay is displayed during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

Fans wait in a sheltered area of the stadium as bad weather halts play during the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

A general view of the stadium during a storm delay in the World Cup Group I soccer match between France and Iraq in Philadelphia, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

SAN DIEGO (AP) — It took Austin Hays just four pitches to show the San Diego Padres they made the right decision to sign him as a free agent.

Hays hit a pinch, two-run home run in his first at-bat with the Padres to cap San Diego's four-homer game in a 7-2 win against the AL West-leading Houston Astros on Sunday night.

He was signed earlier in the day and resumed a season that's seen him play only 13 games because of various leg injuries. He was designated for assignment by the Chicago White Sox on Wednesday.

Hays drove a 2-1 pitch from lefty Bryan King and pumped his fists as the ball sailed into the left-field corner. His teammates raised their arms in celebration in the dugout.

“I've been feeling good in Triple-A for the past month, so I’ve been waiting to do that up here,” the 31-year-old Hays said. “It was a good feeling. I let out a lot of excitement there on that swing. It was a long road for me to get back this year. It was a battle, but I’m feeling good right now, and I was able to put a good swing on the ball on my first night here, so, it’s a good feeling.”

His big swing allowed All-Star closer Mason Miller to have the night off.

“He told me afterward, ‘You’re my favorite player,' ” Hays said. “I think he was glad to be able to have a night where he wasn't going to go out there let it rip for 15 pitches.”

That was exactly why the Padres, who are one game out of the NL's third wild-card spot, signed Hays.

“We’ve been missing that, that right-handed bat off the bench that we could throw in for a pinch-hit, with (Luis) Rengifo playing as much as he can," manager Craig Stammen said. "And, you know, that’s a good way to get in good with your teammates and your coaching staff, to homer on your first pinch-hit at-bat, which is not easy to do, but, you know, great swing by him and welcome to the Padres, Austin Hayes.”

Stammen said the situation was perfect for Hays.

“I talked to him when I walked in this morning and said, ‘Hey, if they bring a lefty in you’re going to be pinch-hitting for one of our lefty hitters and be ready for that,' “ Stammen said. ”As the week goes, he’ll probably get some starts but that’s kind of the spot, he’s on the roster for that opportunity. When they bring a lefty in and we’ve got some of our lefties up, that we’d rather have a righty hitting, he can be someone with some pop off the bench and take a good at-bat.”

Hays said he was ready for the situation.

“Around the fourth or fifth, you’re looking out there. They've got quite a few lefties in their bullpen. So it was a close game. I saw where the lineup was, and thought, ”I've got a shot here.' I saw him stand up and I was ready to go up there and take some hacks."

Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit a go-ahead, three-run homer in the fourth inning, said Hays' homer was “Huge. Coming in with the right step. I'm happy for him. He's definitely going to help us in the long run.”

Hays has been sidelined much of this season by hamstring and calf injuries and played in only 12 games with the White Sox.

AP MLB: https://apnews.com/hub/MLB

San Diego Padres third baseman Gage Workman, left, misses a grounder but Padres shortstop Sung-Mun Song, right, of South Korea, fields the grounder hit by Arizona Diamondbacks' Tyler Locklear during the seventh inning of a baseball game, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2026, in Phoenix. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)