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Soccer-Wildfire smoke to have minimal impact on World Cup final

By Thomson Reuters Jul 17, 2026 | 3:50 PM

By Amy Tennery

NEW YORK, July 17 (Reuters) – Canadian wildfire smoke will have a minimal impact on Sunday’s ​World Cup final at New ‌York New Jersey Stadium, forecaster AccuWeather said on Friday, as a crowd of more than 80,000 is set to watch Argentina play ‌Spain ​for soccer’s biggest ⁠prize.

Heavy smoke from hundreds ⁠of wildfires in Canada has blanketed a large swath of the U.S. this week, prompting air quality warnings ​from officials.

Air quality may register below “good levels” on Sunday in East ⁠Rutherford, New Jersey, AccuWeather ⁠said, but fans and players ​can expect an improvement over the “poor to ​unhealthy” conditions expected on Saturday.

“It may ‌still not be considered good, but it should not be as bad as Saturday. It will also be ⁠less humid compared to Saturday, which will make for more comfortable conditions,” said meteorologist Adam ⁠Douty.

The ‌New York New Jersey region ⁠smelled of smoke under hazy ​skies ‌this week, as local authorities ​urged residents ⁠to reduce strenuous outdoor activity.

Rain forecast for Saturday is expected to help dissipate a lot of the smoke.

(Reporting by Amy Tennery in New YorkEditing by ​Christian Radnedge)