Authorities 'monitoring' wildfires' impact on 2026 World Cup final, sources say
Authorities are "monitoring" whether wildfires burning across Canada will impact Sunday's 2026 World Cup final, sources familiar with the situation told ABC News on Friday.
The two World Cup finalists, Argentina and Spain, are scheduled to kick off their match Sunday at 3 p.m. ET at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, one of at least 18 states with an air quality alert in place due to the fires.
Unhealthy air quality readings were reported Friday morning across the state and forecasted to continue through Saturday, according to AirNow.gov.
On Thursday, Spain's players practiced outside in New Jersey, at a facility about 30 miles north of East Rutherford, according to The Associated Press. Argentina's players remained in the Atlanta area.
Smoke from nearly 900 active wildfires in Canada is traveling more than a thousand miles to U.S. locations from Michigan to New Hampshire to Virginia. Though the U.S. will be impacted by the smoke throughout the weekend, it is still too early to know exactly where it will be by Sunday afternoon.
Passing showers and thunderstorms are possible in Ontario Friday, but not enough rain to put the wildfires out, and the winds may make conditions worse and lightning could spark new wildfires. There are more chances for rain over Ontario Sunday through Tuesday.
Parts of New York City -- located less than 15 miles from East Rutherford -- were measuring AQI levels of over 200 Thursday evening, indicating "very unhealthy" air quality. AQI levels over 150 are dangerous for the general public, according to health officials.
"This is very serious," New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference Thursday morning, adding that the city is providing free masks to help people cope with the smoke. "We are reaching into a level of air quality that is dangerous for every single New Yorker."
In nearby Philadelphia, officials issued a "Code Purple Air Quality Emergency Day" on Friday, warning residents, "Everyone may experience negative health effects from particulate matter in the air."
Wildfire smoke can negatively impact a person's health depending on the air quality index and proximity to the fire. Smoke contains fine particles that can travel deep into the lungs.
Those with underlying health conditions like asthma, COPD, heart disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease or who are pregnant need to be extra cautious about breathing in wildfire smoke.
ABC News' Emily Shapiro contributed to this report.
