Wildfire Smoke Threatens World Cup Final — and FIFA Has No Air Quality Plan

Wildfire smoke from Canada is threatening the World Cup final between Argentina and Spain, set for Sunday at an open-air stadium just outside New York City — and FIFA, the sport's governing body, has no apparent contingency plan for air quality hazards.

Smoke has blanketed much of the Midwest and East Coast in recent days, pushing air quality to "unhealthy" and "very unhealthy" levels across more than a dozen states. New York issued a statewide air quality advisory Thursday. As of Friday morning, air near MetLife Stadium remained in the unhealthy range. Forecasts say conditions should improve to "moderate" by kickoff, but smoke patterns could shift. If they don't, fans and players would be fully exposed — there's no way to seal an open-air stadium against drifting wildfire smoke.

FIFA has detailed protocols for extreme heat, including mandatory water breaks, but said nothing about air quality in its tournament planning documents. The organization did not respond to requests for comment. Meanwhile, other leagues have moved decisively: The National Women's Soccer League added hydration breaks during a Thursday match at Citi Field and postpones games when air quality tops a certain threshold. Major League Baseball rescheduled a game in Philadelphia, and Major League Soccer canceled one in Chicago — all because of the same smoke.

The absence of a plan already matters on the ground. Spain's team held outdoor practice Thursday in New Jersey during an air quality event. "These are high-level athletes who are moving a lot of air through their lungs," Courtney Howard, an emergency physician and Global Climate and Health Alliance official, told the Associated Press. "They shouldn't be practicing outside if the air quality levels are at hazardous sort of ranges."

One sport management professor at the University of South Carolina, Nicholas Watanabe, described FIFA as "unprepared for these wildfires," while noting the organization will likely dodge the worst of it if Sunday's air clears as forecast. But the bigger question lingers: as wildfire seasons grow longer and more intense, outdoor mega-events will keep facing this problem — and governing bodies that treat smoke as a freak occurrence rather than a planning requirement will find their luck running out.