The World Cup final between Argentina and Spain is scheduled for Sunday at New York New Jersey Stadium, where a crowd of more than 80,000 is expected. However, the event is being overshadowed by air quality warnings in major US cities due to dense smoke from Canadian wildfires.
On Friday, Detroit and Chicago posted hazardous air quality readings, the worst in the world. Officials in many cities have urged residents to stay indoors or wear masks as air quality reached unhealthy to hazardous levels, posing a health risk to everyone.
While some forecasts suggest the smoke will have a minimal impact on Sunday's game, others indicate it is unclear how much the wildfires will affect the match. Although smoke levels were expected to improve, officials warned that winds could bring more haze into the Northeast and potentially thicken the air before the final.
FIFA organizers are monitoring the smoky conditions closely. According to people familiar with the matter, FIFA has no plans to move the World Cup final despite the degraded air quality in the New York area.