Why Canadian wildfire smoke is raising concerns ahead of the World Cup final

The World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at the open-air Meadowlands stadium in New Jersey-New York is set to be played under close monitoring as wildfire smoke from Canada affects air quality across parts of the northeastern United States.

Around 80,000 spectators are expected to attend the final, while authorities have issued air quality alerts in several US regions as smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires drifts south, says Al Jazeera.

Here is what we know.

Why is wildfire smoke a concern?

Smoke from large wildfires contains fine particulate matter that can reduce visibility and affect air quality. Exposure to elevated levels of these particles can pose health risks, particularly for people with respiratory or cardiovascular conditions and those spending extended periods outdoors.

The current smoke originates from wildfires burning across Canada, particularly in Ontario, where more than 200 fires remained out of control as of Friday.

Although the 2026 fire season has not yet surpassed Canada's record 2023 season, it has intensified rapidly. About 2.8 million hectares have burned so far this year, nearly doubling over the previous week.

What has Fifa said?

Fifa said on Friday that current air quality conditions do not pose a threat to the World Cup final.

The governing body said it is monitoring the situation closely alongside a representative from the US National Weather Service. Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House World Cup task force, said coordination between organisers and weather officials was ongoing. "There's been discussion about it, and we have somebody with the National Weather Service that sits in Fifa headquarters there, so we're monitoring closely."

The issue has also drawn attention from the US government, with President Donald Trump scheduled to meet Fifa President Gianni Infantino to discuss the situation.

Could conditions change before the match?

Meteorologists have offered differing forecasts.

Peter Mullinax, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said conditions were expected to improve compared with those seen earlier in the week. "I don't believe that this should be as impactful as if you might be playing a game today."

However, forecasts remain uncertain. Joel Dreessen, an air quality forecaster for the state of Maryland, said weekend storm systems could alter the movement of the smoke. "Some of the models are starting to indicate that we'll start to pull down some smoke."

Air quality forecasts can change quickly depending on wind direction, atmospheric conditions and wildfire activity.

Has weather affected the tournament before?

Yes.

The tournament has already experienced several weather-related disruptions.

Earlier matches involving Mexico were affected by stormy weather, leading to one delay and speculation about possible rescheduling.

Separately, a prolonged heat dome has brought exceptionally high temperatures to parts of North America. Temperatures above 43 degrees Celsius (110 degrees Fahrenheit) have been forecast in several host cities, prompting concerns about player and spectator safety.

While air quality around New York has improved from earlier hazardous levels, cities including Detroit and Chicago recently recorded the world's worst air quality because of the wildfire smoke.

Why are Canada's wildfires so widespread?

Canadian wildfires are a regular seasonal occurrence, but recent years have seen larger and longer-lasting fire seasons.

Scientists say rising temperatures and drier conditions are increasing the likelihood of severe wildfire seasons by creating conditions that allow fires to spread more rapidly and burn for longer periods. Mark Parrington, a scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, said warmer temperatures and lower soil moisture meant "…when there's an ignition we see these really large-scale, persistent burning where these fires can burn for weeks and weeks at a time through summer."

Environmental advocates say the increasing frequency of smoky conditions highlights the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Paul Mathewson, science programme director at Clean Wisconsin, said, "Increasingly smoky skies underscore the importance of a rapid transition to clean energy rather than building more polluting fossil fuel infrastructure that further contributes to climate change."

Researchers say climate change is contributing to longer fire seasons and increasing the frequency of extreme wildfire events in many parts of the world, although individual fires are influenced by a combination of weather, vegetation, land management and ignition sources.

What happens next?

Officials are expected to continue monitoring air quality and weather conditions through the weekend.

Unless conditions deteriorate significantly, Fifa has indicated that the World Cup final will proceed as scheduled while monitoring guidance from weather and public health authorities.