Will The World Cup Final Be Postponed?
It appears unlikely. As health alerts have been issued amid the wildfire smoke in New York and New Jersey, FIFA is not concerned about the impact of poor air quality on the World Cup final as the weather forecast improves, according to unnamed sources who spoke to ESPN. The National Weather Service is expecting sunny conditions and a high of 82 degrees Fahrenheit for the game on Sunday.
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Tangent
A Major League Soccer matchup between Chicago Fire and the Vancouver Whitecaps was canceled Thursday and moved to October after wildfire smoke created hazardous air quality in Chicago. The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets game on Thursday was moved up by an hour due to air quality concerns in Philadelphia, which has continued experiencing poor air quality Friday.
Key Background
Over 950 fires are active in Canada as of Saturday afternoon. A Wednesday statement from Canadian fire officials said more fire growth and ignitions were expected in the coming days due to hot and dry weather. So far, over 120,000 people have been evacuated amid the blazes. Chicago and Detroit are the cities that have been most impacted by the smoke, experiencing air quality indexes in the hazardous range of 425 to 450, according to IQAir, which notes New York and Washington, D.C., have experienced unhealthy indexes around 180. IQAir expects air quality to improve by the weekend due to shifting winds, though it acknowledged “periodic smoke episodes may continue over the next few days, with additional plumes possible as long as wildfires remain active in Minnesota and Canada.”
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Further Reading
Argentina-Spain World Cup Final Is Most Expensive U.S. Sporting Event Ever (Forbes)
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Trump Will Meet FIFA Officials At Trump Tower Before Attending Final (Forbes)