The popular World Cup Fan Festival in Houston, Texas is to be closed on Monday amid flood warnings in the area, as extreme weather continues to cause issues at the tournament.
The flood warning runs through to Wednesday, when Portugal open their campaign with their first Group K game against the Democratic Republic of Congo in Houston.
The Houston Stadium has a roof and it is not expected that the weather will affect the fixture itself, but local organisers have opted to close the fan festival on Monday in anticipation of poor weather.
“Due to anticipated inclement weather conditions and the guidance of public safety officials, FIFA Fan Festival Houston will be closed on Monday, June 15,” a statement from the Houston Host Committee said.
“Ensuring the safety of fans, staff, volunteers and emergency services personnel remains top priority for the Houston Host Committee.”
The statement added they “look forward to welcoming fans back as soon as conditions allow”.
The festival has been popular in Houston and reached its 7,500 capacity on the opening two days of the tournament.
Houston hosted its first game on Sunday as Germany defeated Curacao 7-1 in a match that was also preceded by heavy showers.
This summer’s World Cup, hosted across the US, Canada and Mexico, is being held at peak storm season across much of North America, and the US has strict adverse weather protocols during events it hosts.
Fifa adheres to rules set by local authorities during the tournament, with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) saying that if any lightning strike is detected within eight miles of a stadium the game has to be stopped.
Six matches were halted during last summer’s Club World Cup due to lightning strikes.
The same protocol is in place for the World Cup, with a half-hour countdown beginning before play is permitted to resume after any strike. Any subsequent strike resets that clock, which led to a game between Chelsea and Benfica finishing four hours and 38 minutes after it had begun as strikes delayed its restart.
Adverse weather affected the build-up to this tournament, with England’s friendly with Costa Rica delayed by an hour after heavy rain and the prospect of lightning in the Orlando area.
