The friendly match to prepare for the World Cup between England and Costa Rica, scheduled for the late afternoon of Wednesday, June 10, at the Inter&Co Stadium, in Orlando, United States, was postponed by an hour from its original schedule due to a strong storm with lightning in the Florida region. The kickoff, which was scheduled for 5pm (Brasília time), was postponed to 6pm after an assessment of the security conditions at the location.
The English Football Association used its official communication channels to issue a warning aimed at fans in the stands. Before the match’s postponement was confirmed, spectators were advised by the stadium’s sound services to seek covered shelters and to remain protected due to the imminent danger of electrical discharges in the vicinity of the sports arena.
Lawn Conditions and Safety Protocol
The significant volume of water accumulated in a few minutes generated deep puddles on the Inter&Co Stadium lawn, making it impossible to circulate the ball and warm up for athletes from both teams. The stadium administration and the English federation conditioned the start of the game at 6pm to the total interruption of lightning in a safety radius of the sports structure, following the strict protocols of North American legislation for outdoor events under extreme weather conditions.
Arena maintenance workers launched a task force with squeegees and drainage equipment to remove excess water shortly after the rain’s intensity subsided. The most recent images of the internal circuit showed a significant improvement in the field’s absorption, allowing the space to be freed up for the match’s protocol procedures.
Lineups and scenarios for the World Cup
Even in the face of weather difficulties, the coach of the English team, Thomas Tuchel, confirmed the official lineup of the team with maximum strength for the test on American soil. The European team begins the clash with its main stars, center forward Harry Kane and midfielder Jude Bellingham, among the starters chosen for the friendly.
On the other hand, the Costa Rica delegation, which failed to qualify for the 2026 world tournament, arrived normally at the sports complex, but chose to postpone the release of its official list of starting players until the referee confirmed that it was completely safe to hold the match.
The English use their period in Florida as a final preparation base for their World Cup debut. England is part of Group L of the international competition, where they will face the teams of Ghana, Panama and Croatia. The first official commitment of the squad led by Thomas Tuchel in the tournament takes place on June 17th, against the Croatians, in the city of Dallas.