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Anyone who lives in the northeastern part of the United States has undoubtedly witnessed the apocalyptic scene unfolding in the sky.
Smoke from the forest fires currently ravaging Canada has spread south of the border to many American cities, affecting air quality and causing health problems for citizens.
Smoke from Canada’s wildfires shrouds the Manhattan skyline in Brooklyn, New York, Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The question on everyone’s mind is whether or not the FIFA World Cup final will be played in the shadow of smoke from Canada’s wildfires.
IF AIR QUALITY IS POOR, ARGENTINA COULD BE HURT BY SPAIN’S STYLE IN WORLD CUP FINAL, SAYS FOX ANALYST
With the championship game being played in East Rutherford, New Jersey, that would mean players and fans would be in the direct path of the smoke.
FOX Weather anchor Bob Van Dillen explained what effect the smoke could have on the game as well as how we got to this point.
“All of these fires were put out in Canada on Monday afternoon and this smoke immediately spread into the atmosphere,” Van Dillen said. “The winds were blowing from the northwest and carried it across the Great Lakes, and now it’s moving across the mid-Atlantic, into New York…and it’s been a nuisance, even a danger, over the last few days.”
The New York/New Jersey Stadium is pictured in East Rutherford, New Jersey, two days before the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on July 17, 2026. (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking about the dangers of smoke, Van Dillen broke them down in terms of the air quality index, or AQI.
As he explains, 0 to 100 represents normal, healthy conditions, while anything above 101 is potentially dangerous and becomes increasingly dangerous as the number increases.
“Once you get to about 150 with that AQI, everyone starts to feel it and you have to start taking it a little slow when you go out,” Van Dillen said. “Yesterday, for example, East Rutherford on Thursday, peaked at 245…That’s when you’re not supposed to be out.”
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That’s a staggering number, although it’s not even close to the ceiling when you consider that places like Detroit saw their worst AQI numbers since weather services started tracking air quality in 2000.
The Motor City peaked with an AQI of over 600 on Thursday.
Van Dillen put things into context when he explained what the conditions would be like for players on the field to be subjected to smoke.
“If they had played it yesterday, it would be the equivalent of playing this game for 90 minutes while smoking two cigarettes.”
Even if Van Dillen’s assessment is accurate, he may even have underestimated things when it comes to the length of the match.
Over the past 20 years, four of the last five World Cup finals have gone to overtime or penalties, meaning Sunday’s final has a good chance of going 30 minutes longer than usual.
Spain trained at the Gotham Training Center in East Hanover, New Jersey, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina on July 16, 2026. Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro performed light individual stretching during the open portion of training instead of team passing drills. Hazy skies from wildfires in Canada have reduced air quality and visibility in the New York metropolitan area. Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
Looking ahead to Sunday’s game in northern New Jersey, Van Dillen was optimistic.
“If the game were to be played on Thursday…I would say probably not play it,” Van Dillen said. “But on Saturday, we’ll have a cold front that will eventually pass through, and into Saturday evening, that’s going to push the biggest plume of smoke offshore.”
Van Dillen explained that Sunday may seem a little blurry, but nothing compared to what New Yorkers and New Jerseyans have experienced this week.
“I think we have a nice little window for your Sunday afternoon,” Van Dillen said. “I think you’ll be fine, the AQI should be 75, so it’s still in a good range.”
PK Press Club and Outkick reached out to FIFA to see if they had contingency plans in place in case conditions dictated a postponement, but no response was given.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the White House discussed Sunday’s World Cup final in New Jersey, as the tri-state region continues to deal with poor air quality caused by raging wildfires in Canada, sources confirmed to PK Press Club Digital on Friday.
The discussions were described as informal as they continue to monitor the wildfire situation. The sources added that there were no contingency plans in place to make changes to the game due to the weather.
The Spanish national team trains at the Gotham Training Center in East Hanover, New Jersey, July 16, 2026, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina. Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro participated in light individual stretching during the open portion of practice instead of team passing drills. Spain trained under hazy skies as smoke from ongoing wildfires in Canada reduced air quality and visibility in the New York metropolitan area ahead of Sunday’s final at New York New Jersey Stadium. Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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It’s also worth noting that the Spanish national team trained in northern New Jersey this week before the game, while the Argentine team remained in Atlanta.
Whether this is beneficial to either team remains to be seen, but hopefully neither players nor fans will have to find out.
