FIFA's stance on World Cup match abandonments discussed after England vs Costa Rica scenes

England's final pre-World Cup friendly against Costa Rica was disrupted by adverse weather conditions in a sign of what could be to come over the next month.

The Three Lions were scheduled to kick off against Costa Rica at 4pm local time in Orlando on Wednesday before being delayed by an hour due to bad conditions.

Torrential rain, thunder and lightning had struck the area in the hours leading up to kick off and the game did not start until 5pm local time (10pm BST).

Weather delays have been a major talking point in the build-up to the World Cup after numerous games at last year's Club World Cup in the USA were impacted by thunderstorms.

Former PGMOL chief and FIFA referee, Keith Hackett, has insisted that the governing body's protocols and stadiums' ability to deal with bad weather should be trusted ahead of the tournament.

The pitch at Orlando's Inter&Co Stadium was drained very quickly on Wednesday as England eventually ran out 3-0 winners.

Mexico face South Africa in the opening game of the historic tournament on Thursday evening, so it remains to be seen when the next game affected by the weather takes place.

Keith Hackett praises FIFA and England vs Costa Rica officials after small delay

Hackett has told Football Insider that the England game being delayed was the right decision by the officials and he does not expect any major issues relating to the weather at the World Cup due to FIFA's expert planning and scheduling.

He said: "I have experienced these sudden changes in the weather in the States. The decision to delay kick off is the appropriate action to take by the match officials. The pressure often comes from the broadcast companies who operate on very tight schedules.

"The drainage systems in these stadiums work extremely well, clearly designed for these conditions. Games will only go ahead if the playing surface does not endanger the safety of players and make the game turn into a farce.

"FIFA will not want any games abandoned, but I have no doubts that, with their excellent planning, they will have built into the schedule's space for any potential disruption."

Have any other pre-World Cup friendlies been affected by the weather?

While they should not be concerned about potential delays, Hackett has also told Football Insider that England players and Thomas Tuchel are powerless over what could happen if any of their World Cup games are affected by poor conditions.

Their Costa Rica friendly is not the only match to be hit by a similar situation ahead of the tournament, after Saudi Arabia vs Puerto Rico was stopped for almost two hours last week in Texas.

Thunderstorms forced players off ⁠the pitch in the 21st minute, then repeated lightning strikes led to multiple resets of ⁠the mandatory 30-minute delay that officials have to adhere to if a strike is felt within eight miles of the stadium.

Play eventually resumed nearly two hours after initially being stopped, and there is every chance that a similar situation takes place during the tournament.