Real Madrid’s charter flight was unable to depart Palm Beach on Tuesday afternoon because of a powerful storm sweeping through southern Florida. After finally taking off several hours late, the aircraft spent more than an hour circling Washington and New York awaiting clearance to land, with Newark Liberty International Airport temporarily closed as weather conditions in the Northeast deteriorated. The disruption has forced FIFA to cancel the mandatory pre-match press conference with head coach Xabi Alonso and the mixed-zone interviews with Thibaut Courtois, Fede Valverde and Jacobo Ramon that had been scheduled on Tuesday evening at MetLife Stadium. Club officials notified tournament organisers of the delay, and FIFA confirmed the cancellations shortly after 7:30 p.m. local time in New York. Real Madrid are due to face Paris Saint-Germain in the FIFA Club World Cup semifinal on Wednesday, less than 24 hours after the aborted media availability. While the club expects to arrive in time for the match, it plans to remain in the New York area for the rest of the competition—should it reach Sunday’s final—rather than return to its Florida training base. Tournament organisers are monitoring the weather but have not announced any changes to the fixture schedule.