Air quality in New Jersey set to improve before World Cup final despite Canadian wildfire smoke
Forecasts show moderate air conditions in New Jersey on Sunday as smoke from Canadian wildfires is expected to diminish, and FIFA officials say the match will proceed as planned.
Smoke from more than 950 active wildfires in Canada has drifted southeast across the United States, affecting the Northeast and Upper Midwest. The National Weather Service predicts sunny skies and a high of 82°F in New Jersey on Sunday, the day of the FIFA World Cup final, suggesting the air quality will be moderate enough for the event.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino met with White House officials on Friday to discuss health risks associated with the haze, but unnamed sources told ESPN that the organization does not anticipate postponing the final. The forecasted improvement in weather is expected to offset current health alerts issued in New York and New Jersey.
The smoke has already forced changes to other sporting events. A Major League Soccer game between Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps was cancelled and rescheduled for October, and a Philadelphia Phillies-New York Mets game was moved up an hour due to poor air quality in Philadelphia. Cities such as Chicago and Detroit have recorded hazardous air-quality indexes, while New York and Washington, D.C., have seen unhealthy levels.
Air-quality monitoring firm IQAir expects conditions to improve over the weekend as winds shift, though it cautioned that intermittent smoke episodes could continue while the Canadian fires remain active.