On Saturday, July 11, all eyes are on the match between Norway and England in the quarter-finals of the 2026 World Cup, but the match will not be decided by technical factors alone, as heat and humidity are expected to play an influential role in the atmosphere of the match, as the match faces the risk of postponement due to high temperatures in the American city of Miami.








The England national team, led by Harry Kane, Jude Billingham and Declan Rice, is seeking to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup for the first time since 2018, but it will clash with a Norwegian team led by Erling Haaland, who is looking for a historic achievement for his country, which has never reached the semi-finals of the men’s World Cup. The confrontation also carries an individual dimension, with Kane and Haaland competing for the Golden Shoe award for the tournament’s top scorer, alongside Argentine Lionel Messi and Frenchman Kylian Mbappe.

According to the Fox Weather channel, the temperature in Miami during the match is expected to reach high levels, with partly cloudy skies, while the weather impact on the match was classified as moderate.

An extreme heat warning is also in effect until seven in the evening local time, with expectations that the felt temperature will reach 108 degrees Fahrenheit, or approximately 42.2 degrees.

Heat and humidity were among the reasons that prompted the implementation of mandatory water drinking periods during the World Cup, where players get a 3-minute pause in the middle of each half to gather on the touchline and drink water.

As for postponing matches due to weather, thunderstorms remain the main factor in World Cup protocols. Play will be suspended immediately if lightning is detected within a radius of 8 miles of the stadium, and the match will not resume until 30 minutes have passed without any new lightning being recorded.

If lightning is detected again, the countdown will be reset, which could lead to long delays if storms persist. FIFA does not set a fixed time limit for canceling a match, as each case is evaluated individually.

The current tournament witnessed more than one interruption due to bad weather conditions. The match between Mexico and England in the round of 16, which was held in Mexico City on July 5, was postponed for an hour before England won 3-2.

The match between Mexico and Ecuador in the round of 32 on June 30 was also postponed for an hour, before Mexico won 2-0.