Fans attending Monday’s France-Iraq match in Philadelphia may have to contend with more than just the action on the field. The NBC10 First Alert Weather Team is tracking severe storms that could affect the 5 p.m. match. Under FIFA rules, if lightning strikes within eight miles of the stadium, p lay will be interrupted and fans will be moved to the concourse and/or emergency shelter area. “They’ll start to evacuate the stadium to the main concourse and seek emergency shelter,” Lauren Lambrugo, chief operating officer of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, said. “And then it has to wait 30 minutes prior to them bringing everybody back on the field.” Fans are not allowed to bring umbrellas into the Linc for the match, but they can bring ponchos. When asked about the possibility of a postponement of the match for another, Lambrugo assured fans that the match will take place on Monday. “They will make sure that the match is broadcast and played tomorrow,” she said. However, she also said her organization defers final weather-related decisions to “FIFA and the Eagles team.” The possibility of severe weather comes after thousands of fans packed FIFA Fan Fest on Sunday under sunny summer skies. “We’ve been very lucky, this past week has been wonderful,” Michael DelBene, executive producer of FIFA Fan Festival, said. Fans heading to the match are being encouraged to monitor weather updates through the FIFA app. NBC10 will send weather-related notifications directly to peoples’ phones (so make sure you have notifications turned on). At Fan Fest, organizers plan to use video screens, public announcements and social media to communicate any weather-related changes. “We encourage people to come out even if it’s raining,” DelBene said. “In the event of dangerous weather, high winds or lighting or anything like that, we will evacuate the site.” Fan Fest organizers already put those plans into action Thursday, when activities at Lemon Hill were halted because of high winds. “It only took us just a few minutes to evacuate the site,” DelBene said. “Everyone got home safely and it allowed us to continue with the day.” Fans attending Monday’s match said they understand weather could become a factor. “Little apprehensive about the second half,” France supporter Joe Linkhorn of Cleveland said. “Looking like the weather might be a little inclement, but it’s gonna be fun, it’ll be exciting.” Some fans even suggested rainy conditions could influence the outcome on the field. “It’s a good equalizer,” Linkhorn said. “France has a more talented squad, so when you have the poor conditions like that, it might give a leg up to the Iraqis.” “In soccer, players used to play in the rain,” Iraq supporter Sam Gulli of Michigan said. Akeel Almusawi, an Iraq fan from Dearborn, Michigan, said wet weather could benefit his team. “Might help us out, make the ball a little slippery so they can’t play those long balls behind,” Almusawi said. SEPTA also said it is monitoring the forecast and will adjust service if needed. This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC Philadelphia. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC Philadelphia journalist edited the article for publication. This story uses functionality that may not work in our app. Click here to open the story in your web browser. ...read more read less