​CHICAGO – Robert Lewandowski’s debut with the Chicago Fire will have to wait.The Fire announced the Thursday, July 16 game against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Soldier Field is being postponed until Oct. 8 because of poor air quality from Canadian wildfires. A thick haze has shrouded Chicago all day, and the city’s air quality was rated as “hazardous” by AirNow, a partnership of multiple federal, state and local agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementAir quality above 300 is considered very unhealthy for everyone. Chicago’s was at 597.”The decision was made with the health and safety of fans, players, staff and all event personnel as the top priority,” the Fire said in making the announcement.Chicago’s next game is Wednesday, July 22, at Inter Miami.Lewandowski is, arguably, the most accomplished and high-profile player the Fire have signed. The Polish striker is a two-time winner of FIFA’s Best Men’s Player award and was in the running for the Ballon d’Or in 2020 until organizers decided not to award it because of COVID.Lewandowski is one of only five players to have scored 100 or more goals for three different clubs. He most recently was at Barcelona, where he won three La Liga titles in four seasons. He also played at Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, where he won the Champions League title in 2020.1 / 5US forward #20 Folarin Balogun (C) celebrates with teammates after scoring his team’s third goal during the 2026 World Cup Group D football match between USA and Paraguay at the Los Angeles Stadium in Inglewood on June 12, 2026.(PATRICK T. FALLON, AFP via Getty Images)This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Chicago Fire postpone Robert Lewandowski’s debut because of poor air quality