Smoke from Canadian wildfires drifts to New York, FIFA World Cup final (Spain vs. Argentina) faces air quality threat.

Early Thursday morning, New York presented an unrecognizable scene. The Manhattan skyline was obscured by a dense layer of grey smoke, and face masks, largely forgotten since the pandemic, reappeared on the streets. With three days until the FIFA World Cup final, Canadian wildfires pose an unexpected threat to the world's biggest sporting event.

“These are elite athletes whose lungs are processing a lot of air. They shouldn't be training outdoors when air quality reaches dangerous levels. I would look for indoor facilities with clean air,” emergency physician and representative of the Global Climate and Health Alliance, Dr. Courtney Howard, stated in an Associated Press interview, after Luis de la Fuente's Spain squad conducted outdoor training in smoky East Hanover.

Local authorities have issued an air pollution alert, recommending reduced strenuous outdoor activity and particularly advising individuals with respiratory conditions to take extra precautions. Everyone's focus is on the Air Quality Index (AQI), which measures the concentration of pollutant particles in the air and can fluctuate dramatically within hours depending on wind direction. However, it is not the grey sky, nor the smell of smoke already detectable in the New York metropolitan area, that will determine if the final proceeds as scheduled, but rather the AQI values.

When this index exceeds a specific threshold, health authorities deem the air quality unsuitable for strenuous exercise. This Thursday, multiple monitoring stations in New Jersey showed air quality levels ranging from "unhealthy for sensitive groups" to "hazardous" at certain times. However, a major unknown for the FIFA World Cup has emerged: FIFA has never publicly stated a specific critical threshold for postponing matches due to air pollution. The final decision rests with health and meteorological departments – once unhealthy levels are reached, matches may face adjustments.

Despite concerns, meteorological models are favorable for the final. Weather services predict heavy rain on Saturday, and a cold front entering early Sunday morning should disperse most of the smoke accumulated over New York and New Jersey before the match begins. Therefore, neither authorities nor FIFA are currently considering postponing the match. However, experts warn that smoke dispersion depends on wind direction, and the situation can change rapidly, with relevant monitoring updated almost in real-time.

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