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Anyone living in the northeastern portion of the United States has no doubt witnessed the borderline apocalyptic scene unfolding in the sky.
The smoke from the wildfires that are currently ravaging Canada has made its way south of the border to many American cities, affecting the air quality and causing health problems for citizens in the process.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the Manhattan skyline in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday, July 16, 2026. (Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The question on everyone’s mind, though, is whether or not the FIFA World Cup final will even be played in the shadow of the Canadian wildfire smoke.
With the championship game taking place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, it would mean the players and fans would be in the direct path of the smoke.
FOX Weather anchor Bob Van Dillen broke down what effect the smoke would potentially have on the game as well as how we got here.
“We had all these fires bust out in Canada on Monday afternoon and that smoke instantly got lifted into the atmosphere,” Van Dillen explained. “Winds were out of the northwest and it dragged it right through the Great Lakes, and now it’s setting up shop across the Mid Atlantic, New York City… and it has been a nuisance if not hazardous for the last few days.”
The New York/New Jersey Stadium is pictured in East Rutherford, N.J., two days before the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on July 17, 2026. (Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking of the hazards that the smoke represents, Van Dillen broke it down in terms of Air Quality Index, or AQI.
As he explains, 0-100 represents normal, healthy conditions, while anything above 101 is potentially hazardous and gets more dangerous as the number increases.
“Once you get to about 150 with that AQI, everybody starts to feel it and you have to start taking this thing a little bit slow when you get outside,” Van Dillen said. “Yesterday, for instance, East Rutherford on Thursday, topped out at 245… That’s when you’re not supposed to be out.”
AIR QUALITY CONCERNS FROM CANADIAN WILDFIRES FORCE RESCHEDULING OF TWO PROFESSIONAL SPORTS GAMES
That’s a staggering number, though not even close to the ceiling when you consider places like Detroit experienced their worst AQI numbers since weather services started tracking air quality back in 2000.
The Motor City peaked with an AQI of over 600 on Thursday.
Van Dillen put things into context when he explained what the conditions would look like for the players on the field being subjected to the smoke.
“If they had played it yesterday, it would be the equivalent of playing that game back and forth, 90 minutes, smoking two cigarettes.”
While Van Dillen’s assessment is spot on, he may have even been underselling things with regard to the length of the game.
In the past 20 years, four of the last five World Cup finals have gone to extra time or penalties, meaning this Sunday’s final has a good chance of being 30 minutes longer than usual.
Spain trained at the Gotham Training Facility in East Hanover, New Jersey, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina on July 16, 2026. Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro did light individual stretching during the open portion of training instead of the team’s passing drills. Hazy skies from Canadian wildfires reduced air quality and visibility across the New York metropolitan area. Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
When it comes to the game that is supposed to be played in northern New Jersey on Sunday, Van Dillen gave an optimistic outlook.
“If the game was going to be played on Thursday… I would say probably don’t play it,” Van Dillen said. “But, on Saturday, we’ve got a cold front eventually that’s going to swing through, and by the evening hours of Saturday, that’s going to push the biggest plume of smoke offshore.”
Van Dillen explained that Sunday may look a little hazy, but nothing compared to what New Yorkers and New Jerseyans have been experiencing this week.
“I think we’ve got a nice little window for your Sunday afternoon,” Van Dillen opined. “I think it’s going to be okay, the AQI is forecasted to be 75, so that is still in a good range.”
Fox News and Outkick reached out to FIFA to inquire if they had contingency plans in place should the conditions dictate a postponement, but no response has been given.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the White House have been in talks about Sunday’s World Cup final in New Jersey as the tri-state area continues to deal with poor air quality caused by wildfires raging in Canada, sources confirmed to Fox News Digital on Friday.
The discussions were characterized as informal as they continue to monitor the wildfire situation. The sources added that there were no contingency plans in place to make any changes to the game because of the weather.
Spain’s national team trains at the Gotham Training Facility in East Hanover, New Jersey, on July 16, 2026, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina. Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro took part in light individual stretching during the open portion of training instead of the team’s passing drills. Spain trained under hazy skies as smoke from ongoing Canadian wildfires reduced air quality and visibility across the New York metropolitan area ahead of Sunday’s final at New York New Jersey Stadium. Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images (Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
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It’s also worth noting that the Spanish national team has been practicing in northern New Jersey this week leading up to the game, while the Argentine side stayed in Atlanta.
Whether that is advantageous for either team remains to be seen, but hopefully neither the players nor the fans have to find out.
