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The World Cup final New Jersey-New York is hanging under a cloud of uncertainty as thick smoke billowing from Canada has triggered false air warnings in the United States.
Southerly winds meant the capital, Washington DC, was particularly vulnerable on Friday, coming in second “unhealthy” on the list, with officials urging everyone to avoid non-essential outdoor activities.
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In New York and New Jersey, where the finals will be played on Sunday in an open field, the metro area was experiencing air that could be unhealthy for the affected teams, changing after the smog on Thursday made the view of Manhattan invisible.
Detroit and Chicago posted air quality readings in the “dangerous” range, tracker IQAir says were the most polluted cities in the world.
Forecasters at the National Weather Service warned that the smoke could last until Saturday morning.
About 80,000 fans are expected for the final game, which will be held in the large, open-air stadium at the Meadowlands, home of the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets.
What are the latest updates from FIFA?
FIFA confirmed on Friday that emissions from wildfires will not pose a threat to the World Cup.
Earlier, the race organizers said they were “monitoring the situation”.
“There have been discussions about this, and we have someone from the National Weather Service who lives at FIFA headquarters there, so we’re watching closely,” White House World Cup Executive Director Andrew Giuliani said in a briefing.
President Donald Trump will meet with FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Friday.
What do experts say about smoke?
Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist with the NWS, told the AFP news agency that storms over the Great Lakes could push more smoke into the northeastern US, which could turn the sky orange.
But he said the forecast for the area is expected to change.
“I don’t believe that should be useful if you’re playing today,” Mullinax said.
The bottom line, said Joel Dreessen, Maryland’s state air quality forecaster, is whether more smoke will descend on the South after the weekend’s storms.
“Some samples are starting to show that we are going to start reducing emissions,” he said.
Were some matches affected by the weather?
Yes, but not because of the smoke.
Mexico to Knockout against England Rumors that it has been canceled due to bad weather before the organizers have settled the chaos and confirmed that the match will go ahead as planned.
Before that, Mexico round-32 game against Ecuador was delayed for an hour due to a typhoon.
Concerns about extreme heat in July prompted forecasters to warn of potential heat-related hazards at other World Cup finals. A strong “heat wave” has settled over large parts of the US and Canada, bringing furnace-like temperatures and temperatures expected to exceed 43 degrees Celsius (110F) in several tourist destinations.
Are Canadian wildfires linked to climate change?
In cities across the US Midwest and Northeast, people are wearing masks outdoors to clear dangerous air. In New York, libraries and train stations were handing them out for free.
The upper Midwest, which is closest to the fire, was particularly affected, with parts of Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin all recording air readings within “dangerous” days.
The NWS extended the air warning for Chicago through Friday, adding that “smoke from the wildfires may return tomorrow evening and continue into Sunday.”
Advocates have emphasized the connection between repeated occurrences of wildfires and climate change.
“Smog-rich skies highlight the need for an urgent transition to cleaner energy sources instead of fossil fuel plants that are a major contributor to climate change,” said Paul Mathewson, science program director at Clean Wisconsin, one of the states that has seen a sharp rise in smog days in recent years.
Mark Parrington, a scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, told AFP that climate change is creating conditions for longer fire seasons, with higher air temperatures and lower soil moisture.
So, he explained, “when there is ignition we see this big, continuous fire where these fires can burn for weeks and weeks in the summer.”
Are Canadian wildfires under control?
The fires intensified Friday in Canada, with more than 200 wildfires burning, mostly in Ontario, according to officials there.
The damage is still a far cry from 2023, Canada’s worst wildfire season on record, when nearly 18 million hectares (44 million acres) burned across the country.
But the intensity has increased dramatically over the past week, with nearly 2.8 million hectares (7 million acres) burned since the start of the year, according to the latest government figures. As of last Friday, the number stood at about 1.6 million hectares (4 million acres).
Fires in Ontario did not harm anyone, and several remote villages have been evacuated.
