Lightning halts pre-World Cup friendly in Texas

Saudi Arabia's World Cup warm-up game against Puerto Rico in Texas was halted for nearly two hours because of extreme weather.

The match at the Q2 Stadium in Austin was stopped in the 21st minute as thunderstorms and lightning forced players off the pitch, with messages telling fans to seek shelter.

There were a number of lightning strikes before the match eventually resumed, with Saudi Arabia winning 3-0.

The 2026 World Cup, which is being held across Canada, Mexico and the United States, starts on 11 June.

It is taking place at the peak of the thunderstorm season in several host cities, and if a lightning strike is detected within eight miles of a stadium the game will be stopped.

A mandatory 30-minute countdown then begins and, each time there is a lightning strike inside the distance, the countdown clock resets to 30 minutes again.

While the Q2 stadium will not host any matches during the World Cup, two stadiums in Texas will be used during the tournament.

There will be seven matches at the Houston Stadium, while the Dallas Stadium will host nine matches, including England's group game against Croatia.

Last year, the Club World Cup took place in the US and Chelsea's last-16 tie against Benfica in Charlotte lasted for four hours and 39 minutes as it was one of a number of games halted because of seasonal summer thunderstorms.

Heat is also expected to be an issue at the World Cup, with researchers warning temperatures at 14 of the 16 stadiums being used could exceed dangerous levels.

Saudia Arabia play their final warm-up game against Senegal on Wednesday before they start their World Cup campaign against Uruguay at the Miami Stadium on 15 June.

They have further Group H games against Spain in Atlanta on 21 June and Cape Verde in Houston on 27 June.