The 2026 World Cup experienced an unprecedented situation this Monday when the match between France and Iraq, corresponding to Group I, had to be interrupted due to adverse weather conditions in Philadelphia. The suspension came just at the end of the first half and made the match the first of the tournament directly affected by the weather.

The organization activated the security protocol after electrical activity was detected in the area. From the stadium's public address system, attendees were asked to leave the uncovered areas and seek shelter within the venue.

According to the rules established for this type of scenario, once the alert is issued, the game must remain stopped for at least 30 minutes before evaluating a possible resumption.

The interruption occurred in a context that had already generated concern during the planning of the championship, due to the fact that several regions of the United States experience a high frequency of thunderstorms at this time of year.

Shortly before stopping the encounter, the United States Weather Service (NWS) had activated a tornado warning for the Philadelphia area.

Until the break, France maintained a partial 1-0 lead over Iraq thanks to a goal by Kylian Mbappé.

Mbappé continues to get closer to historical records

Beyond the climatic context, the first half of the match also left movement in the history of World Cup scorers.

Mbappé took advantage of the commitment to reach a new individual record by scoring the French goal in the 14th minute. The Real Madrid forward thus reached 15 goals in World Cups and reached the historical record of Brazilian Ronaldo Luiz Nazário de Lima.

The French attacker also achieved this figure on a special day, as he completed his 100th match with the France senior team.

Before the start of this second date of Group I, Mbappé had accumulated 14 World Cup goals, a figure with which he shared a historical position with the German Gerd Müller. With his new goal he took another step in a classification that still has historic names ahead of it.

The day was also marked by another movement in that historical table. Lionel Messi reached 18 World Cup goals and established a new benchmark as the top scorer in the history of the tournament.

The Argentine, who will turn 39 on June 24, left behind the record of 16 goals that Miroslav Klose had established on July 8, 2014 during Germany's 1-7 victory over Brazil.

With the goal achieved against Iraq, Mbappé continues to approach the first historical positions while France waits to know when a match that was conditioned by a factor outside of football can be completed.

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