American broadcaster FOX Sports faced viewer backlash on Monday night during a two-hour weather delay in the France vs Iraq World Cup match. Instead of live panel discussion, FOX aired a replay of the United States vs Australia match from three days earlier, angering fans.
Weather Suspension Forces Unprecedented Delay
France's Group I match against Iraq at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia became the first World Cup fixture in decades to be disrupted by adverse weather. A fierce lightning storm swept through during halftime, with France leading 1-0. FIFA's regulations required play to be suspended when lightning was detected within eight miles of the stadium, with a 30-minute uninterrupted countdown needed to resume. However, multiple storm bands forced the clock to reset repeatedly, causing a delay of over two hours. Players returned to the field after nearly 8pm local time, having kicked off at 5pm.
FOX's Coverage Strategy Draws Criticism
Initially, FOX handled the delay well, extending halftime coverage with presenter Rebecca Lowe and panelists Thierry Henry, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, and Alexi Lalas analyzing France's first half and Lionel Messi's record-breaking performance for Argentina earlier that day. But after 45 minutes, with no restart imminent, FOX began showing a full replay of the US 2-0 victory over Australia from last Friday.
Viewers expressed outrage on social media. One wrote: "The fact that FOX is showing a rerun of the USA vs Australia game during this weather delay for France vs Iraq is a joke." Another asked: "Do Zlatan and Henry not get paid enough to keep doing the talk show? Come on FOX, do better." A third added: "Totally on brand for FOX to be showing a three-day-old soccer match during an interruption of the France-Iraq game with no mention anywhere on screen other than 'weather delay' that it's a repeat."
Previous Controversies Over Commercial Breaks
This was not FOX's first World Cup controversy. The network has been airing commercials during mandated three-minute hydration breaks, with commentator Ian Darke introducing them as "powered by Powerade." Viewers criticized these interruptions as disruptive. According to Front Office Sports, the additional commercial inventory could generate an extra $250 million (£189 million) for FOX throughout the tournament before adopting a split-screen format.
Match Resumes, France Advances
Once play resumed, Kylian Mbappe scored his 16th career World Cup goal, and Ousmane Dembele added a third, securing a 3-0 victory for France. The win advanced the 2022 finalists to the knockout round with a game to spare.
