Despite air quality warnings across parts of New York and New Jersey, the FIFA World Cup final between Argentina and Spain is expected to be played as scheduled on Sunday (19).
According to sources, FIFA is not concerned about the match at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, as weather forecasts indicate that air quality conditions are expected to improve before kickoff.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada has spread across large areas of the northeastern United States, prompting health alerts from local authorities. On Friday, New York's Office of Emergency Management warned that air quality was "unhealthy for everyone." A day earlier, officials had described the conditions as "very unhealthy."
The National Weather Service also said smoke was expected to remain in the region on Friday but at lower levels than the previous day. It added that smoke could become thicker again overnight into Saturday morning (18).
Haze from Canadian wildfires blankets the Manhattan skyline, including the Empire State Building, as seen from Brooklyn Bridge Park on July 17, 2026 in New York City. New York City has been under an Air Quality Health Advisory as the Canadian and Great Lakes wildfire smoke gradually moves through the area, creating a thick haze in the heat. Getty Images
The poor air quality has already disrupted sporting events. Major League Soccer postponed Thursday night's match between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Chicago Fire at Soldier Field in Chicago because of unhealthy conditions.
However, sources say FIFA does not believe the World Cup final will be affected by the smoke.
Weather has already played a role during this year's tournament, although for different reasons. England's match against Mexico in Mexico City was delayed by an hour because of severe weather, while France's game against Iraq was suspended for more than two hours before resuming.
Argentina head into Sunday's final looking to win back-to-back FIFA World Cup titles after defeating France in the previous final. Spain, meanwhile, are aiming to lift the trophy for the second time, having last won the World Cup in 2010.
Before the final, England and France will meet in the third-place playoff on Saturday in Miami.
The race for the tournament's Golden Boot is also still open. France's Kylian Mbappé and Argentina's Lionel Messi have each scored eight goals heading into the final weekend. France's Ousmane Dembélé and Spain's Mikel Oyarzabal remain in contention with five goals apiece, and goals scored in the third-place playoff will also count toward the final standings.
Getty Images
