England v Costa Rica warm-up delayed by storm in Orlando

Heavy rain and lightning in Orlando left the pitch at Inter&Co Stadium waterlogged and forced a series of delays to England’s World Cup warm-up with Costa Rica. Organisers first moved kick-off from 4pm local to 4.20pm, then later confirmed a 5pm local start (10pm BST).

Stadium staff warned of more lightning and safety protocols were cited variously as requiring a 45‑minute or a 30‑minute wait after the last strike. A small number of fans were allowed back into the stands from the concourses as operations such as the ticket collection point were temporarily suspended while staff monitored the weather.

Journalists at the ground described torrential downpours and drenched spectators; photographers captured the soggy scenes outside the stadium. England’s team news arrived amid the uncertainty: Pickford, Konsa, O’Reilly, Rice, Stones, Anderson, Kane, Bellingham, Gordon, Madueke and James were named in the XI, with subs including Guehi, Saka, Rashford, Livramento and others.

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