Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca believes that the weather in the United States is not suitable for football matches, following the events that occurred during his team’s match against Benfica in the Round of 16 of the 2025 Club World Cup.
Chelsea led 1-0 until the 85th minute, when play was stopped due to an approaching storm. The situation continued for two hours before the match resumed, with Benfica equalizing through Angel Di Maria, forcing extra time.
As a result, Maresca complained that the American weather is not suitable for football, a complaint that has only intensified with everything that has happened since the Club World Cup began in mid-June.
Maresca: This is not football, it’s a joke!
The Italian coach said after Chelsea’s 3-1 victory over Benfica to advance to the quarter-finals, “What happened today has nothing to do with football. It’s a joke.”
He added, “I understand stopping matches for everyone’s safety, but maybe America isn’t the right place to play football, honestly.”
Maresca continued his scathing attack, “It doesn’t make sense to stop a match for two hours. It doesn’t happen. I’m happy we won, but I can’t understand what’s happening here.”
He concluded, “When seven or eight matches are stopped in one tournament, this doesn’t seem like the right place to play football.”
🚨⚠️ Enzo Maresca: “It’s not football to suspend a game for two hours. It’s not acceptable”. pic.twitter.com/ItSHQR2ccZ
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 29, 2025
The Club World Cup Match Cancellation Crisis
The Chelsea vs. Benfica match was the sixth match to be stopped due to weather conditions since the start of the 2025 Club World Cup.
The Ulsan vs. Mamelodi Sundowns match was the first, followed by Al Ahly vs. Palmeiras for nearly an hour, along with Salzburg vs. Pachuca vs. Benfica, Auckland City vs. Auckland City, and Boca Juniors vs. Auckland City.
Not only was the suspension of matches disrupting the tournament, but the weather and various storms also disrupted travel and transportation between states. The latest victim was Bayern Munich, which struggled to move from Orlando to Miami due to a powerful storm that hit Florida.
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2026 World Cup Safe
Despite the many complaints about the summer weather in America, the reality is that it will have virtually no impact on the 2026 World Cup, which the United States will co-host next year with Canada and Mexico.
All matches of the 2025 Club World Cup were played on the East Coast, a geographic area more prone to storms. The 2026 World Cup will be played on a completely different direction, the West Coast, with the exception of matches hosted at MetLife Stadium, the only stadium shared between the Club World Cup and the national team.
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Meanwhile, the United States is hosting the 2025 CONCACAF Gold Cup, which will be played on the West Coast. No matches have been suspended and there are no weather crises, suggesting that the Club World Cup crisis will not be repeated in the 2026 World Cup.
