The World Cup final in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area is proceeding amidst concerns over air quality, as smoke from Canadian wildfires continues to affect parts of the United States. While the air quality in the immediate vicinity of the stadium has shown some improvement, authorities have issued alerts across various US states due to the dense smoke.
FIFA confirmed on Friday that the negative air quality from the wildfires does not currently pose a threat to the final. Earlier on Friday, tournament organisers stated they were closely monitoring the situation. Andrew Giuliani, Executive Director of the White House World Cup task force, mentioned that discussions were ongoing and that a representative from the National Weather Service was present at FIFA headquarters to assist with monitoring.
Air quality impact on practices and cities
On Thursday, Spain held an outdoor practice session in northern New Jersey under hazy conditions caused by the wildfire smoke. Air quality in East Hanover, where Spain practiced, was initially classified as “unhealthy” but later improved to “unhealthy for sensitive groups” by mid-afternoon, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Now monitoring system. Particle pollution in New Jersey on Thursday was significantly higher than the World Health Organization standard.
Medical experts expressed reservations about outdoor practice sessions during such conditions. Dr. Courtney Howard, an emergency room physician and official with the Global Climate and Health Alliance, suggested that athletes should ideally practice indoors when air quality levels are hazardous due to wildfire smoke. Mary Johnson, an environmental health research scientist at Harvard School of Public Health, also noted that exercising in such environments exposes individuals to more pollutants, potentially leading to health effects even for healthy individuals.
Argentina, the other finalist, remained in the Atlanta area to train after their semi-final match. Marietta, Georgia, is located far enough south to avoid the direct effects of the smoke, which is being carried southeast from northern Ontario. The smoke has triggered warnings from the US Midwest through the Northeast.
The New York City metro area, including the location of the final, was experiencing air quality that could be unhealthy for sensitive groups. This marked an improvement from Thursday, when smog made the Manhattan skyline barely visible. In western regions of New York, the air quality was considered “very unhealthy.”
Other cities have faced more severe conditions. Detroit and Chicago recorded air quality index readings in the “hazardous” range, with tracker IQAir identifying them as among the most polluted cities globally. Washington DC also experienced “very unhealthy” air quality on Friday.
Forecast and wider implications
Forecasters at the National Weather Service warned that the smoke might thicken overnight into Saturday morning. However, Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist for the NWS, indicated that forecasts for the northeastern US are expecting some improvement. Joel Dreessen, an air quality forecaster for the state of Maryland, noted that some models suggest more smoke could move south after weekend storm systems.
The smoke is generally expected to clear the area well before the championship game on Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey, with the forecast calling for an improvement to “moderate” air quality for the day of the final. Approximately 80,000 fans are anticipated to attend the final at the open-air stadium in the Meadowlands.
The Canadian wildfires continue to burn, with fires out of control, particularly in Ontario. While the current damage is less than Canada’s record-setting 2023 wildfire season, the intensity has increased significantly over the past week. Nearly 2.8 million hectares have burned since the beginning of the year. Advocates and scientists, such as Paul Mathewson from Clean Wisconsin and Mark Parrington from the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, have linked the increasing frequency and intensity of wildfire episodes to climate change, citing higher surface air temperatures and lower soil moisture.
The World Cup final is scheduled for Sunday in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
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Source: aljazeera.com
Freya Donnelly is the Sports Reporter at News-UK, covering tennis, cricket and athletics with seven years of reporting experience. She reported on Team GB through an Olympic cycle. She holds a degree in Sport and Media from the University of Brighton and completed an NCTJ diploma. Based in Brighton, she plays club cricket in the summer. “Listening is the most underrated skill in sports reporting.”
