The World Cup final is not under any threat despite the air quality warnings in the area, sources have told ESPN.
Health alerts have been issued by officials in New York and New Jersey after wildfires from Canada, which are impacting large parts of the northeast of the U.S.
But Sunday’s final between Argentina and Spain at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is not concerning FIFA as the weather forecast improves, sources told ESPN.
The Major League Soccer game between the Vancouver Whitecaps and Chicago Fire at Chicago’s Soldier Field was postponed on Thursday night due to poor air quality caused by wildfire.
The National Weather Service in New York posted to social media on Friday: “Smoke still lingers today, especially towards the south, but it should be less intense than yesterday in our region. The smoke may thicken again in the overnight into Saturday morning.”
New York Office of Emergency Management posted on Friday that the air quality was “unhealthy for everyone.” On Thursday, it was described as “very unhealthy.”
Weather has caused issues at the World Cup for different reasons. Notably, England vs. Mexico in Mexico City was delayed by an hour due to severe weather while France vs. Iraq was halted for more than two hours.
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Argentina arrive into Sunday’s final seeking a second consecutive World Cup victory, having beaten France in the final last time around. Spain are vying for their second World Cup, after lifting the trophy in 2010.
On Saturday, losing semifinalists England and France clash in the third-place playoff in Miami.
The Golden Boot is also yet to be decided in the World Cup’s final two matches — France’s Kylian Mbappé and Argentina’s Lionel Messi have both scored eight goals, while France’s Ousmane Dembélé and Spain’s Mikel Oyarzabal have five each. Goals scored in the third-place playoff count towards the total.
Information from ESPN’s Mark Ogden contributed to this report.
