England's World Cup qualifier in Warsaw has been called off because of a waterlogged pitch at the National Stadium and has been rescheduled for 4pm UK time tomorrow.

Torrential rain hit the Polish capital this afternoon but the hosts are said to have wanted to keep the roof open.

The roof, which normally takes 20 minutes to fully shut, would reportedly not be able to close this evening because of the wind and rain restricting mechanics.

© PA Photos

Even then, officials at the National Stadium didn't attempt to remove any surface water from the playing surface.

Speaking to ITV Sport, Polish FA media officer Agnieszka Olejkowska said that there was nobody helping on the turf because of the undersoil heating system.

Referee Gianluca Rocchi went out twice to test the conditions by rolling and bouncing the ball before a final decision was made just before 9pm UK time.

FA director of communications Adrian Bevington refused to criticise the Polish officials but did say that the England team were prepared to play on Wednesday.

However, the Polish players are said to not be happy about playing on Wednesday because of upcoming weekend fixtures.

Written by
Pascal Lemesre