Published on 6/25/2026
The France national team is awaiting its final match in the group stage of the 2026 World Cup against Norway, amid fears of a repeat of the harsh weather scenario witnessed in its previous confrontation against Iraq.
The Roosters had clinched their qualification to the next round after defeating the Iraqi national team 3-0, in an exceptional match that was stopped for more than two hours due to violent thunderstorms that struck the American city of Philadelphia.
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The France-Norway confrontation is scheduled to be held in Boston, about 500 kilometers north of Philadelphia, where weather forecasts indicate cloudy conditions and moderate temperatures of approximately 25 degrees Celsius.
Although the chances of rain are close to 50%, the risk of thunderstorms appears to be much lower compared to what happened in the previous match against Iraq.
It is estimated that scattered storms may form near the end of the match, which may require close monitoring by the organizers.
The American authorities apply very strict measures if thunderstorms occur near the stadiums, as the match is automatically stopped for 30 minutes as soon as a lightning bolt is detected within a circle with a radius of about 13 kilometers from the stadium.
Each new lightning observed during the suspension period also leads to a new 30-minute time limit being recalculated, which caused the France-Iraq match to be halted for more than two hours before completing the second half.
Deschamps’ absence from the match
In addition to the potential climate challenges, the French national team will play the match in the absence of its coach, Didier Deschamps, who traveled to attend his mother’s funeral after her death. His assistant, Guy Stephan, will lead the team from the bench during the confrontation against Norway.
Despite ensuring qualification, the French team seeks to finish the group stage in the best possible way and confirm its lead in the group before the start of the elimination rounds, in a match that may be decisive in determining the Roosters’ path in the rest of the tournament’s journey.
