Argentina and Spain, under threat from smoke coming from Canada, are finalizing details for the World Cup final
A hazy fog blanketed towns in New Jersey on Thursday near where the Albiceleste and La Roja plan to hold their penultimate practices before facing off on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
File photo of smoke in New York
An unwelcome guest threatens to show up at Argentina and Spain's practice sessions, two days before the World Cup final: smoke from wildfires in Canada has spread as far as New Jersey in the United States, where the finalists are training this Friday.
A hazy fog blanketed areas of New Jersey on Thursday near where the Albiceleste and La Roja plan to hold their penultimate practices before facing off on Sunday at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
The venue for the title match is also located in New Jersey, on the outskirts of New York City, which has also been affected by the smoke drifting in from the Canadian province.
U.S. authorities have warned that millions of people are exposed to severely degraded air quality and have encouraged residents of several northeastern states to spend as little time as possible outdoors.
In addition to the smoke, late Thursday night, the smell of burning was also noticeable in Parsippany, a ten-minute drive from East Hanover, home to Spain's training camp.
Rain is expected
For East Hanover and East Rutherford, the air quality was rated "unhealthy" due to fine particulate matter from the fires, according to the official government website that measures air quality.
Neither FIFA nor the national teams have commented so far on the potential impact of the smoke coming from northwestern Ontario, where there are more than 130 active wildfires. At least sixty of them are out of control.
Meteorologists consulted by local media are forecasting heavy rain on Saturday, which should help disperse the smoke from the region and prevent further risks during the final between the reigning champions of South America and Europe.
Spain is scheduled to train for the second consecutive day in East Hanover, where the team set up camp after defeating France 2-0 on Tuesday in Arlington, Texas. On Thursday, they trained with fog obscuring the sun.
The defending champions, meanwhile, landed Thursday night in New Jersey after staging another dramatic comeback victory against England (2-1) on Wednesday in Atlanta.
Both teams, which will face off in an unprecedented World Cup final, will train behind closed doors.
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More than 80,000 spectators are expected to attend the match at MetLife Stadium, the open-air venue for the final, including U.S. President Donald Trump, according to FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
Tens of thousands more are expected to watch the broadcast of the final in Central Park in Manhattan, New York.
Smoke from these fires caused the postponement of the match between the Chicago Fire and the Vancouver Whitecaps—the first since Polish player Robert Lewandowski joined Major League Soccer (MLS).
The game was scheduled to be played on Thursday in Chicago, in the Midwestern United States. The city is the capital of Illinois, one of the states most affected by the smoke.
Forest fires in Canada have burned at least 1.9 million hectares this year—less than in 2023, a record year, and less than in 2025, according to the latest official statistics.
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