TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Severe thunderstorms in the United States disrupted preparations for Spain and Argentina ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, forcing Spain to cancel its final training session and delaying Argentina's practice.
Spain's final training session before Sunday's showdown against Argentina at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, was called off due to heavy storms sweeping across New York and New Jersey.
"The Spanish national team's training session on the pitches at the Melanie Lane Training Ground in New Jersey has been suspended in accordance with the US storm safety protocol. The players are currently taking part in a warm-up session indoors," the Royal Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) said in a statement, as reported by the BBC and cited by Yahoo! Sports.
Luis de la Fuente's squad had been scheduled to train on Saturday, July 18, local time, at the Melanie Lane training ground in New Jersey. The session was initially suspended before eventually being cancelled altogether.
Argentina also encountered difficulties as its final training session in Morristown, New Jersey, began 45 minutes later than originally planned due to the adverse weather conditions.
The U.S. National Weather Service issued warnings on Saturday over severe thunderstorms and potential flash flooding across the New York and New Jersey metropolitan areas.
Despite the disruptions, weather forecasts indicated improved conditions for the final on Sunday, with clear skies expected and temperatures reaching a high of 84 degrees Fahrenheit (around 29 degrees Celsius).
The extreme weather also affected FIFA President Gianni Infantino's travel plans, preventing him from flying to Miami to attend the third-place playoff between England and France.
"Well, today I should actually be in Miami for the bronze medal match between England and France," Infantino said in a video recorded at MetLife Stadium on Saturday.
"Unfortunately, the weather conditions here didn't allow us to fly to Miami, so we came to the stadium of the final in the meantime to check that everything is ready," he added.
Infantino had been in New York on Friday for a media appearance alongside U.S. President Donald Trump. Several flights to and from the city were cancelled due to the severe weather.
England secured third place after defeating France 6-4 in an entertaining playoff match. Attention now turns to Sunday's final, where Spain and Argentina will battle for the World Cup title.
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