Thunderstorms in Atlanta probably won’t touch England-Argentina. Here’s why.

Atlanta is supposed to get hit with some thunderstorms Wednesday afternoon, which would normally be a problem for a World Cup semifinal between England and Argentina. But the Mercedes-Benz Stadium has a roof that closes, so the actual game should be fine.

The bigger question is whether the weather messes with team travel. England already had that scare last week in Mexico City, where storms delayed their bus ride to the stadium by an hour before the round-of-16 win over Mexico. According to the BBC forecast, the thundery showers in Atlanta could roll in around kickoff time, which is 3 p.m. local, and linger into the evening. But so far, there’s no indication either team’s commute will be disrupted.

This England-Argentina semifinal is the first competitive meeting between the two sides since the 2002 group stage, when David Beckham’s penalty — earned after a young Mauricio Pochettino fouled Michael Owen — gave England a 1-0 win in Sapporo. That game was a personal exorcism for Beckham, who got sent off against Argentina four years earlier for kicking Diego Simeone, a red card that many blamed for England’s penalty-shootout exit in the round of 16.

(That 1998 game also featured Owen’s legendary solo goal. He was 18.)

The Hand of God, the Goal of the Century, and Messi’s empty résumé against England

You can’t talk England-Argentina without mentioning 1986. Diego Maradona punched one in — the Hand of God — then ran through half the England team for what’s still widely called the greatest goal in World Cup history. The scoreline that day: 2-1 Argentina, in the quarterfinals.

The two countries have only played once since 2002, a friendly in Geneva in November 2005 where Owen scored twice late to win 3-2. A young Lionel Messi was suspended for that match because he got sent off on his Argentina debut. Which means Messi has never faced England in any of his 205 senior international caps. That changes Wednesday.

Air conditioning changes everything

The Atlanta Stadium holds about 68,000 people and is air-conditioned throughout. The retractable roof will be shut for the semifinal, so the players won’t be dealing with the Georgia heat and humidity, which is forecast to feel like 38 degrees Celsius (about 100 Fahrenheit) outside. That’s a lot different than England’s quarterfinal in Miami last weekend, where the threat of storms didn’t materialize and Jude Bellingham’s extra-time brace got them past Norway 2-1.

England has already played in Atlanta once this tournament, rallying from behind to beat DR Congo in the round of 32 on a late Harry Kane winner. Argentina also played here, staging their own dramatic comeback against Egypt in the round of 16. So both teams know the building.

The forecast is what it is. The roof is closed. The AC is on. The only weather that could cause a delay is if the storms hit during team travel, and right now that looks unlikely.