England vs Norway faces huge delay tonight as warning issued
Harry Kane will try and be a whirlwind on the pitch, but a different kind of storm is heading towards England vs Norway.
Millions up and down the United Kingdom, are gearing up for a great Saturday, with England taking on Norway in the quarter-finals of the World Cup at a scheduled kick-off time of 10pm BST.
However, fears are growing that the match could face significant delays.
The 2026 World Cup has been defined by extreme weather, with hydration breaks being mandated and stormy conditions delaying several matches.
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Thomas Tuchel got his first taste of that ahead of England's remarkable victory over Mexico in the last 16, which was pushed back an hour due to storms in Mexico City.
While England vs Norway should (hopefully) avoid kicking-off at 2am in the UK, it could still be another match we're made to wait for.
Even if a storm has already passed.
Stormy conditions forecast for Miami on Saturday
After the heights of Mexico City, England are back at sea level on Saturday as they take on Erling Haaland's side in Miami.
Florida is notorious for its tropical storms, which can suddenly appear with monsoon-like fury before departing again.
The Three Lions' have already experienced this first hand, with their pre-tournament friendly vs Costa Rica in Orlando being delayed an hour.
The heat and humidity are going to be unbearable in Miami, but a forecasted storm could have a serious impact on the match.
AccuWeather has predicted there will be: "A thunderstorm in spots this afternoon, lightning from nearby storms may impact the soccer match."
The storm is predicted to start building at around noon, five hours before the scheduled kick-off time in Miami.
While there is hope the storm itself could have moved on by 5pm, Chad Merrill, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather, has warned lightning could still linger for hours afterwards.
'There still can be a lightning threat for an extended period of time'
“Usually, when the sea breeze comes in, the thunderstorms are moving at about 10 to 20 miles per hour. Those storms can continue to develop as they move farther inland," he told The Sun.
“So, even after the storm passes, there can be a threat for lightning because the lightning can encompass an area from 10 to maybe 20 miles, even beyond where the storm is physically located.
“Even though the storm has passed, there still can be a lightning threat for an extended period of time. But usually these storms are fairly progressive as they move inland.”
As per FIFA protocol, if lightning strikes or thunder are detected within an eight-mile radius of an open-roof stadium, then play must be suspended for 30 minutes, with players given 15 minutes to warm-up again before play is resumed.
If they are detected again within that time period, then the clock resets, while lightning ahead of kick-off can significantly delay the game getting underway.
If the stormy conditions weren't enough for England to contend with, the US National Weather Service has warned the climate could feel as warm as 43C on Saturday due to the high heat and humidity.
In some good news, though, manager Tuchel has revealed he had all his available players in training ahead of the match amid serious injury concerns.
Only Jordan Henderson, whose World Cup is over after breaking his arm in a freak injury, was absent, with injury doubts Declan Rice, Marc Guehi and Reece James all ready to take on Norway.
Speaking in a pre-match press conference, Tuchel said: "We had everyone available in training. That’s the best news."
Daniel Murphy