This World Cup is going to be hot and at times stormy, with a sizeable chunk of its 104 games set to be played above 90F (32C).Spread across the United States, Canada and Mexico, it is likely to be the warmest edition since the previous World Cup in North America, when the U.S. hosted it solo in 1994.While extreme heat and humidity will affect how matches are played, thunderstorms could provide the greater logistical challenge.Under the thunderstorm protocol in place, a match must be suspended if lightning or electrical discharge is detected within an eight-mile radius of the stadium involved.Once that happens, a 30-minute countdown begins, but resets if another strike is detected before it ends. On June 22, the game between France and Iraq became the first World Cup game delayed by the storms, stopping for more than two hours.To help understand which games will be most affected, The Athletic is working with Aaron Mentkowski, chief meteorologist at WKBW-TV Buffalo, to provide a daily forecast. Aaron will join live coverage to explain what’s happening during storm delays.Portugal vs SpainAT&T Stadium, Arlington, Texas. Kick-off: 2pm local time (CDT), 3pm EDT, 8pm BSTAn indoor match, so no weather issues on the pitch. It will be hot outside of the stadium.At 2pm, the match will start with an outside temperature of 92F (33C). The chance of rain is 20 per cent. After the game the temperature will be 95F (35C). Winds will be out of the south at 5-10mph.United States vs BelgiumLumen Field, Seattle, Washington. Kick-off: 5pm local time (PDT), 8pm EDT, 1am BSTA beautiful day in Seattle for this match. At 5pm, the temperature will be 79F (26C) under mostly sunny skies, and winds out of the northwest at 5-10 mph. By 7pm the temperature drops to 77F (25C).Jul 6, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms