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Canadian wildfires raise health concerns
Given the current concerns about the impact of smoke from wildfires in Canada, the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, scheduled for next Sunday at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, has many precedents for games being delayed or canceled due to poor air quality or heavy smoke.
The safety of players and fans is a priority that can push organizers to take exceptional decisions.
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The Iranian league is one of the leagues most affected by air pollution, especially in the capital Tehran, which sees a significant increase in pollution levels during the winter. In December 2015, two league matches were postponed after the air quality index exceeded internationally accepted limits, following a recommendation by environmental authorities to avoid the sport.
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In November 2019, it was decided to postpone Persepolis’ match against Nesaji, along with another match in Tehran, for the same reason.
These incidents were repeated in 2024 and 2025, when several major matches in the capital, including Persepolis and Esteghlal, were canceled after the air quality index reached levels classified as “unhealthy” or “hazardous”.
Iranian authorities also announced at the time to close schools and suspend sports activities to protect public health.
Current impact on the American League
Yesterday, Thursday, the Major League Soccer League (MLS) decided to postpone the Chicago Fire match against the Vancouver Whitecaps, which was scheduled to take place at Soldier Field due to smoke from wildfires coming from Canada and northern Minnesota.
About 40,000 spectators were expected to attend the match before it was postponed to October 6.
the agency reports “Associated Press” The decision comes after air quality reached unhealthy levels, prompting the association to take steps to keep players and fans safe. On the same day, for the same reason, the match of Forge FC against Pacific FC of the Canadian Premier League was also postponed.
American Women’s League
In June 2023, the New Jersey/New York Gotham match against the Orlando Pride in the United States Women’s League (NWSL) was postponed after the air quality index reached 206, which was classified as a “very unhealthy” level.
The league decided to postpone the match until August in compliance with its own policy of relying on Air Quality Index (AQI) levels to make decisions on whether to play or postpone games.
Burner smoke…similar effect
Although the cause in the following cases was smoke from fan-lit torches rather than air pollution or wildfires, the impact on visibility and player safety was similar.
In January 2025, Feyenoord’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich was abandoned just 72 seconds after kick-off due to thick smoke blocking vision and preventing the players from following the ball.
In the same month, the start of Real Madrid’s French match against Brest in the same tournament was delayed for several minutes due to heavy smoke from torches in the stands.
FIFA and the possibility of postponement
Despite these precedents, there is no indication so far that FIFA is considering postponing the World Cup final.
The idea of moving or postponing the match seems very difficult, not only because of the expected improvement in weather conditions, but also because of the huge sporting and commercial value of the event, which is expected to break records for ticket prices, after some seats on the secondary market cost more than two million dollars.
In this regard, the newspaper noted “The sun“ The British newspaper noted that at the moment there is no information that FIFA is putting the postponement option on the table.
