A severe weather warning has prompted officials at the Azteca Stadium in Mexico City to issue a shelter-in-place order on Sunday, just hours before the World Cup round-of-16 match between Mexico and England.
Supporters and media personnel currently inside the stadium have been advised to remain in their seats due to heavy downpours and multiple reports of lightning directly above the venue.
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Kick-off Time Unchanged
The scheduled kick-off for the knockout fixture remains set for 18:00 local time, following a prior dispute over scheduling logistics between tournament organizers and the competing nations.
FIFA officials held extensive discussions with the English and Mexican football associations on Friday after proposing to move the game to an earlier slot, before executing a sudden U-turn.
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Meteorological reports indicate that intense thunderstorms and heavy shower clouds have rapidly developed across the capital city over the last few hours, threatening potential disruptions.
"Any storms are likely to linger for hours," noted weather reports featured by the BBC regarding the localized climatic activity affecting parts of the city.
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Local social media channels continue to report severe downpours impacting various city sectors, though verifying the exact proximity of the lightning strikes relative to the stadium boundary remains difficult.
