Spain's final training session before World Cup final cancelled

What the report says

BBC Sport reported that Spain’s last scheduled training session before the World Cup final was cancelled on Saturday after heavy thunderstorms affected New York and New Jersey. Luis de la Fuente’s squad had been due to train at the Melanie Lane Training Ground in New Jersey, but the session was first suspended and then abandoned. The players instead moved indoors for warm-up work, according to a statement from the Spanish football federation, the RFEF.

The weather disruption came one day before Spain face defending champions Argentina in Sunday’s final at New York New Jersey Stadium, with kick-off listed by BBC Sport as 20:00 BST. Argentina, whose training base was around five miles away in Morristown, were later able to hold their session after a delay of about 45 minutes.

BBC Sport said the suspension followed US storm safety rules, which require outdoor sports activity to stop when lightning or electrical activity is detected within an eight-mile radius. Play or training can resume only after at least 30 minutes without further lightning. Fifa, the tournament organiser, said there were no alternative Saturday training slots available for Spain.

The report also noted wider weather and environmental concerns in the area. New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani said the city was under a flood advisory and urged residents not to take risks in dangerous conditions. Earlier in the week, New York and New Jersey officials had issued an air quality health alert linked to haze from Canadian wildfires. Spain reached the final by beating France 2-0, while Argentina defeated England 2-1 after a late comeback.