The New York City skyline is seen through a cover of wildfire smoke, in Jersey City, N.J., Friday, July 17, 2026. (AP Photo/Ryan Murphy)

By The Canadian Press

Uncertainty clouds the forecast on whether wildfire smoke will affect the World Cup final

Jul 17, 2026 | 11:04 AM

NEW YORK (AP) — Mikel Merino can smell and see the smoke from the Canadian wildfires that are making for hazy conditions across large parts of the U.S., including northern New Jersey where he and Spain are set to face Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday.

Merino is trying not to focus on it.

It remains unclear how much, if at all, the smoke will affect the final. The World Health Organization forecast calls for an improvement to “moderate” air quality in East Rutherford.

“For a game that is as important as a World Cup final, you have to be able to shut out external factors as much as possible,” Merino said Friday. “Luckily, we are being careful with every detail thanks to the federation and the organizers of the World Cup.”

Spain practiced outside in hazardous conditions in East Hanover, New Jersey, on Thursday, alarming experts who thought the team should have held the session inside instead. Messages sent to FIFA and the Spanish Football Association asking whether that was considered or possible were not returned.

Emergency Disaster Services

Vernon Salvation Army mobile team out supporting vulnerable people

10m ago

Housing Starts

Local housing construction declined in June, down for year so far

5h ago

Employee Safety

Employers responsible for worker safety as heat wave hits Okanagan: WorksSafeBC

22h ago

Air quality improved Friday, but the uncertainty lies in what will follow what could be up to 1.25 inches (3.17 centimeters) of rain expected to fall Saturday.

“Following that, it looks like there is another smoky air mass following in behind that system, but it’s not clear right now how much or how it might reach New York or New Jersey, when it comes to actually Sunday,” said Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. “If the fire intensity really picks up again through (Saturday), it’s possible it puts more smoke into the atmosphere that then might quickly follow that rain event.”

Smoke from wildfires — which are burning more of North America as Earth warms — attacks nearly every system in the body, killing tens of thousands of people a year, numerous medical studies show.

It attacks the body immediately, spiking asthma cases with increased ambulance runs within hours. Smoke can trigger inflammation in different parts of the body, often attacking a person’s weakest points, which can then cascade into different effects of an immune system trying to fight a nasty irritant, doctors and scientists say.

Parrington said as a general rule the advice is to try to minimize outdoor activity and exercise when the air is full of pollutants.

“There’s the obvious sort of respiratory illness, cardiovascular issues, vulnerable people with asthma and things like this,” Parrington said. “Then for sure they’re going to feel the effects.”

President Donald Trump is set to meet with FIFA President Gianni Infantino later Friday. Members of the administration, including Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, have been discussing the matter with soccer’s governing body and monitoring the wildfire situation, according to a White House official. The person was granted anonymity to confirm internal discussions.

Roughly 80,000 fans are expected at the final, which takes place in the large, open-air stadium in the Meadowlands that is home to the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets.

___

SNTV videographer Davidde Corran in East Hanover, New Jersey, AP White House reporter Seung Min Kim and AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington and AP Sports Writer Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.

___

See more of AP’s World Cup coverage here

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press