Manchester City’s Pre-Season Friendly Against Barcelona Postponed Due to Severe Weather in Orlando
WHAT HAPPENED?
The highly anticipated pre-season friendly between Manchester City and Barcelona was postponed due to severe weather conditions in Orlando, Florida. The match, set to take place at the Camping World Stadium, was delayed by one hour and 20 minutes after a weather warning was issued. A message on the stadium’s big screen informed fans: “Due to inclement weather, the event has been temporarily delayed,” just an hour before the scheduled kickoff.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
This isn’t the first time Manchester City’s pre-season preparations have been disrupted by adverse weather. Their first game of the USA tour, a thrilling 4-3 loss to Celtic, was also affected by weather issues. During that match at Kenan Stadium in Chapel Hill, fans were evacuated due to a weather warning, though the conditions improved before kickoff and the game went ahead without delay.
DID YOU KNOW?
Manchester City are no strangers to weather-related disruptions during their pre-season tours. In 2022, their friendly against Bayern Munich at Lambeau Field was paused due to an electric storm. Similarly, last year’s fixture against Atletico Madrid during their Asia tour was postponed by 45 minutes due to torrential rain in Seoul.
WHAT’S NEXT?
Manchester City will conclude their USA tour with a match against Chelsea next Saturday in Ohio. After returning to England, they will prepare for the Community Shield, where they will face arch-rivals Manchester United on August 10.
