Authorities in New York and New Jersey have declared an air quality health warning due to drifting wildfire smoke, arriving only days before the World Cup final.
Smoke from fires burning in Canada has settled across the New York metropolitan area, leading officials to advise people to limit strenuous activity outdoors and remain inside when possible.
New York New Jersey Stadium — situated in East Rutherford, New Jersey — is set to stage the championship match between Spain and Argentina on Sunday, 19 July (20:00 BST).
The haze thickened shortly before Spain’s arrival in New Jersey on Wednesday evening, following their semi-final triumph over France in Texas the previous day.
Spain held an outdoor training session on Thursday, showing no visible signs of being troubled by the conditions. They have yet to indicate whether they hold any worries.
Argentina, for their part, remained in Georgia after overcoming England in the last four, but are scheduled to start practising in New Jersey on Friday afternoon.
Contractor Dan Edgar shared that his daughter Kaitlynn was rehearsing at New York New Jersey Stadium on Thursday, where she is due to dance and take part in the final’s performance.
“She’s texting me that it’s bad out there,” he remarked. “It’s hard to dance, she says you can feel the air, it’s heavy.”
Some players have already contended with the smoky skies and intense heat. A National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) contest between Gotham FC and Washington Spirit proceeded as scheduled on Wednesday night at Citi Field in Queens, in front of a record attendance, despite the orange-tinged gloom.
Under NWSL rules, the air quality reading forced teams to take two stoppages per half.
Washington Spirit’s Trinity Rodman said afterwards that the air was punishing and, in her view, the game should not have gone ahead.
Rodman noted: “Not to make excuses at all, but I think on both sides we were all like, ‘another break, another break, another break’.”
Residents of New York have expressed relief that circumstances are not as severe as those witnessed in June 2023, when Canadian wildfire smoke turned the heavens a deep orange.
New York New Jersey Stadium is a venue without a roof, though currently there is no indication that the World Cup final, which will draw over 80,000 fans and feature a celebrity half-time spectacle, will face disruption.
Air quality forecasts for the region point to an improvement on Friday, while anticipated rain on Saturday should further assist in clearing some of the smoke.
On Thursday, the Major League Soccer fixture between Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps was put off owing to poor air quality in the Chicago vicinity.
Former Bayern Munich and Barcelona forward Robert Lewandowski had been poised to make his first appearance for Chicago after joining as a free agent last month.
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