Kick off at Chase Stadium was delayed by 36 minutes due to torrential rain and an electrical storm Megan Briggs / Getty Images
June 3, 2026 5:39 am EDT Updated
The first weather disruption of this World Cup summer in North America delayed a friendly between New Zealand and Haiti in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, by nearly 40 minutes on Tuesday night.
Kickoff in the pre-World Cup friendly at Chase Stadium, scheduled for 8pm ET, was postponed by 36 minutes after torrential rain and an electrical storm prevented the players from taking to the field for their usual pre-game warm up.
Officials deemed the waterlogged pitch unplayable and the lightning a safety risk, although play was eventually able to get under way at 8:36pm local time.
Last summer’s Club World Cup in the U.S. was also impacted by frequent weather warnings and delays, leading to widespread concerns that the elements could have a major impact on this summer’s tournament in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Chelsea, who went on to win the Club World Cup, had their last-16 tie with Benfica in Charlotte delayed for close to two hours following a lightning strike in the area. Then Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca afterwards claimed the U.S. was not fit to host the competition, labelling the delays “a joke”.
England are braced for potential disruption to their two warm-up friendlies in Florida, against New Zealand in Tampa on Saturday, and Costa Rica in Orlando on June 10.
New Zealand were beaten 4-0 by Haiti, spoiling a record-breaking 89th cap for Nottingham Forest forward Chris Wood.
World number 82 Haiti, only three places higher than New Zealand in FIFA’s rankings, meet Scotland, Brazil and Morocco on their return to the World Cup for the first time in 52 years. New Zealand are in Group G, along side Iran, Egypt and Belgium.
Jun 3, 2026
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