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FIFA makes major World Cup final call as New York chokes on wildfire smoke
On Thursday, New York was among the cities with the worst air quality in the world. It had an Air Quality Index of 208, which is ranked as 'very unhealthy'.
FIFA doesn't plan to shift the 2026 World Cup final on Sunday, even if smoke from Canadian wildfires affects air quality in New York, according to a Bloomberg report. There have been informal talks regarding the issue, but no formal decision has been made, and no meeting has been held for it.
The FIFA command centre in Miami has staff from the National Weather Service stationed for the entire tournament. Bob Oravec, a senior branch forecaster at the US Weather Prediction Centre, feels that the smoke in New York City will get worse on Saturday but clear by Sunday.
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On Thursday, New York was among the cities with the worst air quality in the world. New York had an Air Quality Index of 208, which is ranked as 'very unhealthy'.
‘You have to be able to shut out external factors as much as possible’: Merino
Spain midfielder Mikel Merino has also revealed that he can smell the smoke that the Spanish team trained for the final. Speaking on AP on Friday, he said, "For a game that is as important as a World Cup final, you have to be able to shut out external factors as much as possible."
"Luckily, we are being careful with every detail thanks to the federation and the organizers of the World Cup."
The Spanish team practised in hazardous conditions in East Hanover, New Jersey, on Thursday. Many experts felt that the session should have been held indoors.
Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, told AP, "Following that, it looks like there is another smoky air mass following in behind that system, but it’s not clear right now how much or how it might reach New York or New Jersey, when it comes to actually Sunday."
"If the fire intensity really picks up again through (Saturday), it’s possible it puts more smoke into the atmosphere that then might quickly follow that rain event."
The smoke could affect players' performances in the final, even if the air conditions are moderate. According to Chantal Darquenne, professor of medicine at the University of California, the pollution will have an impact.
"It’s kind of a dose-dependent effect," Darquenne informed AP.
"If it’s moderate, it’s going to be less of an effect, but it’s still going to be there, especially because they are doing vigorous exercise during these events."
On his social media, US president Donald Trump blamed Canada for the issue.
"We are holding Canada responsible," he said.
Ḧe added that the US "is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!”
