How will the weather affect the opening games of the World Cup?

How will the weather affect the opening games of the World Cup?Image source, GettyImage caption, England's warm-up match in Florida was delayed by an hour on Wednesday night after a storm hitBySimon King Lead Weather PresenterPublished20 minutes agoStorms causing delays to some of the warm-up matches this week have already shown how extreme weather will affect this World Cup.And with more storms forecast, some of the opening games are likely to be affected with the biggest risk to play coming by Monday.Scotland start their campaign in a pleasantly warm and dry Boston on Saturday night (Sunday morning UK time).Then for England, the Texas heat may be uncomfortable for fans leading up to their first match against Croatia in Dallas on Wednesday.For Thursday's opening match in Mexico City, it is likely it will be the altitude not the weather that players and fans will notice.How could extreme weather affect World Cup 2026?Published10 MayIs England v Costa Rica delay a sign of things to come?AttributionSportPublished10 hours agoOpening match in MexicoThe World Cup officially kicks off on Thursday afternoon (20:00 BST) in Mexico City. South Africa will be taking on one of the hosts Mexico.While the weather forecast shows showers, these shouldn't be particularly heavy. Temperatures will be around average of 23C (73F).Mexico City is however the highest World Cup host city, at around 2,200 metres above sea level.At this altitude the air is thinner and means that there is around 25% less effective oxygen per breath and therefore will have an impact on the players.Thinner air also means that the football will travel faster and further, have less curve and behave more unpredictably.Miami heat and storms a concernOn Monday, Saudi Arabia take on Uruguay at 18:00 ET in Miami where the temperature will be around 30C (86F). With high humidity forecast, it will feel more like 40C (104F).According to the heat index used by Fifa and other sporting organisations to measure...