Mexico game delayed: Weather updates, start time for World Cup vs. Ecuador – USA Today

Kickoff of Mexico and Ecuador’s World Cup match on Tuesday in Mexico City was delayed for an hour on Tuesday due to lightning strikes in the area.
The round of 32 games was scheduled to begin at 9 p.m. ET at the Estadio Azteca and the delay was made official about an hour before kickoff.
Officials needed to wait for lightning strikes to pass before signing off on a new start time. Players also had to conduct warmups before kickoff and none of the pregame ceremonies had taken place by the time the delay was announced.
Earlier in the World Cup, the France-Iraq game in Philadelphia had a two-hour delay during halftime due to lightning and torrential downpour.
The start of the match – 7 p.m. local in Mexico City – was pushed back due to lightning and began about an hour after its scheduled time.
During the rain delay, fans remained remained in their seats and seem to be having a good time.
FIFA said it was following “the safety protocols established by the local authorities” and that the match would start “as soon as it is safe to do so.”
Typically, each new lightning strike in the area resets a clock and the delay won’t end until lightning has been clear for a determined period of time.
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