Daijiworld Media Network - New York
New York, Jul 18: FIFA has no plans to reschedule Sunday's FIFA World Cup final despite concerns over deteriorating air quality in the New York region caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires, according to officials familiar with the matter.
Informal discussions on the wildfire situation have taken place between FIFA officials and Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House's World Cup Task Force. However, a White House official said no formal high-level meeting on the issue has been scheduled.
The final between Spain and Argentina is set to kick off at 3 pm at the 80,000-capacity MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Officials from the US National Weather Service (NWS) have been stationed at FIFA's command centre in Miami throughout the tournament and will continue monitoring weather and air quality conditions ahead of the final, an NWS spokesperson said.
According to Bob Oravec, senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Center, smoke levels in New York City are expected to worsen on Saturday before improving significantly by Sunday.
"Sunday will not be terrible for the World Cup. Everything we see is that the smoke will be clearing on Sunday," Oravec said.
Hundreds of wildfires burning across Canada, intensified by hotter and drier conditions linked to climate change, have sent dense smoke across large parts of North America, affecting air quality in several major cities.
The poor air quality has already disrupted sporting events in the United States. A Major League Soccer match in Chicago scheduled for Thursday was postponed, while a Major League Baseball game in Philadelphia was brought forward by one hour due to smoke concerns.
Air quality alerts have also been issued across several major US cities, with the Environmental Protection Agency classifying air quality levels in cities such as Detroit and Minneapolis as "hazardous".
FIFA had previously implemented air quality monitoring measures during the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar by deploying solar-powered sensors and monitoring stations across all eight tournament venues. Officials are continuing to monitor conditions ahead of Sunday's final.