​An air quality alert has been issued for New York and New Jersey ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final, which will pit Spain against Argentina. The 23rd edition of the World Cup final is scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, at 3:00 p.m. local time. In the lead-up to the big game, haze from Canadian wildfires has prompted officials in the region to urge residents to remain indoors if possible.
The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a statement regarding the situation. It noted that smoke from wildfires in Minnesota and Canada is affecting air quality across New Jersey today and urged state park visitors to limit outdoor activities, particularly those in sensitive groups. Due to the deteriorating air quality, New Jersey State Parks said they would reduce the capacity of swimming areas to allow lifeguards and park staff to take more frequent breaks. They expressed hope that operations would return to normal as soon as air quality improves.
In New York, the Department of Environmental Conservation reported a shift in the air quality as of Thursday, saying that, by 7 p.m., conditions in the New York City metropolitan area had worsened to “Very Unhealthy.” Despite these developments, BBC Sport indicated that the World Cup final is not expected to be affected, and they anticipated that air quality would improve by Friday, with rain forecast for Saturday potentially helping further.
Spain are reported to have trained indoors upon arriving in New Jersey on Wednesday, after defeating France in Dallas on Tuesday afternoon. Argentina, meanwhile, are believed to have remained in Georgia following their semifinal victory over England in Atlanta. The World Cup champions are expected to begin training in New Jersey on Friday afternoon.
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On Thursday, an MLS match between the Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps was postponed because of the poor air quality in the area. The match had been set to feature Robert Lewandowski making his Chicago Fire debut after his transfer from FC Barcelona, but it was rescheduled for October 6.
Ahead of Sunday’s final, coaches and players from both the Spanish and Argentinian camps are expected to hold press conferences, where the air quality issue is likely to be a topic of discussion. For more context, recent coverage has touched on World Cup-related travel and tourism experiences in the southern United States and reactions to prominent moments, including Lionel Messi’s response to Jordan Pickford’s penalty notes that circulated online.