Thunderstorm risk looms over Portugal’s World Cup clash with Croatia

Portugal’s World Cup last-32 clash against Croatia in Toronto could be affected by severe weather, with Canadian authorities forecasting thunderstorms and extreme heat around the time of kick-off.

Environment Canada has issued an orange heat warning for Toronto, forecasting a maximum temperature of 35ºC.

The official forecast also includes a 40% chance of showers and a risk of thunderstorms during the afternoon and early evening, when the match is due to be played.

Kick-off is scheduled for 7pm local time (midnight in mainland Portugal).

While FIFA has not announced any changes to the fixture, thunderstorms have already disrupted several matches at the 2026 World Cup.

During the group stage, France’s match against Iraq in Philadelphia was suspended for around two hours because of lightning, while Mexico’s round-of-32 meeting with Ecuador was delayed by an hour under FIFA’s severe weather protocol.

The tournament is also being played amid an intense heatwave affecting much of eastern Canada.

A similar situation occurred during last year’s Club World Cup in the United States, when six matches were affected by storms, including Benfica’s games against Auckland City and Chelsea, both of which were interrupted for almost two hours.

Portugal and Croatia are competing for a place in the last 16, with the winners set to face either Spain or Austria.

Michael Bruxo

Journalist for the Portugal Resident.