Will Canadian wildfire smoke affect Spain vs Argentina FIFA World Cup final 2026 at MetLife Stadium? Check details

Canadian wildfire smoke continues to create uncertainty ahead of Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final between Spain and Argentina at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Approximately 80,000 fans are expected to fill the open-air venue as both teams prepare for the biggest match in world football under conditions that remain difficult to predict.

Spain midfielder notices the haze

Mikel Merino can already smell and see the smoke that has created hazy conditions across large parts of the US, including northern New Jersey. The Spain midfielder is doing his best not to let it become a distraction.

“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,” Merino said Friday. “Luckily, we are being careful with every detail thanks to the federation and the organisers of the World Cup.”

It remains unclear how much, if at all, the smoke will influence the match. The World Health Organisation forecast points to an improvement to “moderate” air quality in East Rutherford by game time.

Practice session raises questions

Spain trained outdoors in hazardous air quality on Thursday in East Hanover, New Jersey. The decision surprised some air-quality experts who believed the session should have been moved indoors. Neither FIFA nor the Spanish Football Association responded to questions about whether an indoor option was considered.

Air quality improved on Friday. The bigger question now is what happens after Saturday’s expected rainfall of up to 1.25 inches (3.17 centimeters).

“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,” said Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. “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.”

Health risks for players and fans

Smoke from wildfires affects nearly every system in the human body. Medical research shows it can kill tens of thousands of people each year. Even moderate levels can trigger immediate problems such as asthma attacks and increased ambulance calls within hours. The particles cause inflammation that often hits a person’s weakest points and forces the immune system to work harder.

During a Thursday night rehearsal for the halftime show, some New York Philharmonic musicians wore masks and switched to outdoor-friendly instruments.

Political attention

President Donald Trump was scheduled to meet FIFA President Gianni Infantino on Friday. White House officials, including Andrew Giuliani of the FIFA Task Force, have been monitoring the situation with football’s governing body. Trump earlier threatened new tariffs on Canada over the smoke but did not mention the final itself.

“We are holding Canada responsible,” the president posted. He added that the US “is being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!”