WC PROGNOSTICATION: Weather could be an issue in NJ for final! Will T-storms delay/interrupt the game?
83% of users predicted NO — the community got this one right. 35 predictions cast.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina kicked off as scheduled at 3 p.m. ET on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, without a weather delay or interruption. Forecasters had flagged concerns in the days before the match, including wildfire smoke drifting in from Ontario, Canada, and a severe thunderstorm that struck the stadium area on Saturday, prompting New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill to warn of possible damaging winds, tornadoes, flash flooding and large hail, and forcing Spain to suspend a training session.
By Sunday, the smoke had largely cleared and forecasts called for roughly 80-degree temperatures and clear skies at kickoff. FIFA had contingency plans in place for lightning, but none were triggered, and the match proceeded through 90 minutes of regulation plus two 15-minute extra-time periods without a stoppage, ending in a 1-0 Spain win on a Ferran Torres goal.
The Predict Six community largely anticipated this outcome, with only 17% predicting a thunderstorm delay, correctly reading that the most serious weather threats were confined to the days before the final rather than the match itself.