{"id":807549,"date":"2026-07-17T09:27:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:27:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/807549\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T09:27:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T09:27:30","slug":"canadian-wildfires-could-smoke-out-the-fifa-world-cup-final-daily-hive","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/807549\/","title":{"rendered":"Canadian wildfires could smoke out the FIFA World Cup Final | Daily Hive"},"content":{"rendered":"

As wildfires rage across northwestern Ontario and smoke continues to blanket many northeastern cities, there\u2019s some growing concern about whether the unsafe air quality could impact Sunday\u2019s FIFA World Cup Final in New York City<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Wildfire smoke has already forced the postponement of Thursday\u2019s Major League Soccer match in Chicago featuring the Vancouver Whitecaps<\/a>. With more than 80,000 fans expected to attend Sunday\u2019s final between Argentina and Spain, there\u2019s a cloud of uncertainty lingering over the game before kickoff.<\/p>\n

\"FIFA<\/p>\n

The air quality isn\u2019t great in New York at the moment. (Kevin R. Wexler NorthJersey.com\/Imagn Images)<\/p>\n

According to IQAir.com<\/a>, New York City ranked among the world\u2019s most polluted major cities on Thursday, only behind Detroit, Chicago, Minneapolis, and Toronto.<\/p>\n

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation\u00a0also issued a health advisory on Thursday<\/a>, recommending that people consider limiting strenuous outdoor physical activity to reduce the risk of adverse health effects.<\/p>\n

Home ground of the Mets is enveloped in wildfire smoke tonight. The World Cup final is happening near by on Sunday\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/4VySbP5JqU<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Dr. Lucky Tran (@luckytran) July 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Even the air quality around the stadium was reportedly rated \u2060as \u201cunhealthy for sensitive groups\u201d by several measurement platforms.<\/p>\n

If the World Cup Final were played today under the current conditions, one pulmonologist said it could pose quite a threat to players and thousands of fans.<\/p>\n

Speaking to Reuters<\/a>, pulmonologist Dr. Vin Gupta said exercising for more than 90 minutes in smoky conditions could cause an extreme amount of stress on the heart.<\/p>\n

Gupta also suggested that fans with health issues wear masks in the stadium, or should even consider selling their tickets if they are immunocompromised.<\/p>\n

Spain\u2019s national team already arrived in the NYC area at its training base in East Hanover, N.J., about a 45-minute drive from the stadium. Argentina is expected to travel from Atlanta on Friday.<\/p>\n

Dan Westervelt, a climate change professor at Columbia University, told Reuters he expects the rain to improve conditions by Saturday.<\/p>\n

Canadian wildfire smoke triggered an air quality alert in New York City ahead of the World Cup final, but Columbia University\u2019s Dan Westervelt says rain should clear conditions, with no major disruptions expected to the weekend\u2019s events https:\/\/t.co\/JL12c87yGy<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ssbsScdQ24<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Reuters (@Reuters) July 16, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

Rain is forecast for northwestern Ontario on Friday and for the New York City area over the weekend, conditions that should help disperse much of the smoke before kickoff.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t expect there to be major disruptions to the Saturday or Sunday World Cup events,\u201d Westervelt said.<\/p>\n

You might also like:Vancouver Whitecaps game postponed due to wildfire smoke<\/a>How to stream Spain-Argentina FIFA World Cup Final in Canada<\/a>
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