{"id":6282,"date":"2026-07-17T22:33:52","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T22:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6282"},"modified":"2026-07-17T22:33:52","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T22:33:52","slug":"uncertainty-clouds-the-forecast-on-whether-wildfire-smoke-will-affect-the-world-cup-final","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/raleighmovingnews.com\/?p=6282","title":{"rendered":"Uncertainty clouds the forecast on whether wildfire smoke will affect the World Cup final"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

NEW YORK (AP) \u2014 Mikel Merino can smell and see the smoke from the Canadian wildfires that are making for hazy conditions across large parts of the U.S., including northern New Jersey where he and Spain are set to face Argentina in the World Cup final on Sunday.<\/p>\n

Read more Shohei Ohtani had lubricant injected into knee and is likely to pitch Wednesday at Philadelphia<\/a><\/p>\n

Merino is trying not to focus on it.<\/p>\n

It remains unclear how much, if at all, the smoke will affect the final. The World Health Organization forecast calls for an improvement to \u201cmoderate\u201d air quality in East Rutherford.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor 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,\u201d Merino said Friday. \u201cLuckily, we are being careful with every detail thanks to the federation and the organizers of the World Cup.\u201d<\/p>\n

Spain practiced outside in hazardous conditions in East Hanover, New Jersey, on Thursday, alarming experts who thought the team should have held the session inside instead. Messages sent to FIFA and the Spanish Football Association asking whether that was considered or possible were not returned. <\/p>\n

Air quality improved Friday, but the uncertainty lies in what will follow what could be up to 1.25 inches (3.17 centimeters) of rain expected to fall Saturday.<\/p>\n

\u201cFollowing that, it looks like there is another smoky air mass following in behind that system, but it\u2019s not clear right now how much or how it might reach New York or New Jersey, when it comes to actually Sunday,\u201d said Mark Parrington, senior scientist at the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service. \u201cIf the fire intensity really picks up again through (Saturday), it\u2019s possible it puts more smoke into the atmosphere that then might quickly follow that rain event.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jonathan Belles, senior meteorologist for The Weather Channel app and weather.com, expects to have improved confidence in the forecast as game time gets closer.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe question is whether smoke behind that (rain) system reaches ground level over northern New Jersey on Sunday and, if so, how concentrated it becomes,\u201d Belles said. \u201cCurrent forecast models range from little to no ground level smoke to levels that could become more concerning for players and fans.\u201d<\/p>\n

Smoke from wildfires \u2014 which are burning more of North America as Earth warms \u2014 attacks nearly every system in the body, killing tens of thousands of people a year, numerous medical studies show.<\/p>\n

It attacks the body immediately, spiking asthma cases with increased ambulance runs within hours. Smoke can trigger inflammation in different parts of the body, often attacking a person\u2019s weakest points, which can then cascade into different effects of an immune system trying to fight a nasty irritant, doctors and scientists say.<\/p>\n

There could be an impact on players\u2019 performance even if the air conditions are moderate, according to University of California, San Diego professor of medicine Chantal Darquenne.<\/p>\n

Read more Pirates-Guardians game postponed due to poor air quality caused by wildfire smoke<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of a dose dependent effect,\u201d Darquenne said. \u201cIf it\u2019s moderate, it\u2019s going to be less of an effect, but it\u2019s still going to be there, especially because they are doing vigorous exercise during these events.\u201d<\/p>\n

President Donald Trump was set to meet with FIFA President Gianni Infantino later Friday. Members of the administration, including Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, have been discussing the matter with soccer\u2019s governing body and monitoring the wildfire situation, according to a White House official. The person was granted anonymity to confirm internal discussions.<\/p>\n

Trump said he\u2019d impose new tariffs on Canada over the wildfire smoke but made no mention of the World Cup final.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are holding Canada responsible,\u201d the president posted on his social media site. He added that the U.S. \u201cis being unnecessarily invaded by filthy, polluted, and unhealthy air, the quality of which is dangerous, and totally unacceptable!\u201d<\/p>\n

Roughly 80,000 fans are expected at the final, which takes place in the large, open-air stadium in the Meadowlands that is home to the NFL\u2019s New York Giants and Jets.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s the obvious sort of respiratory illness, cardiovascular issues, vulnerable people with asthma and things like this,\u201d Parrington said. \u201cThen for sure they\u2019re going to feel the effects.\u201d<\/p>\n

During a rehearsal Thursday night at MetLife Stadium for Sunday\u2019s halftime show, some members of the New York Philharmonic wore masks and some used outdoor-friendly instruments rather than the regular ones they play.<\/p>\n

The haze has caused complaints across sports, with athletes critical about the decision to play in hazardous conditions. Before his New York Yankees played at home roughly 12 miles (19.31 kilometers) from the Meadowlands, manager Aaron Boone said he was not hearing much about the smoke.<\/p>\n

\u201cObviously they\u2019re monitoring it to see if it gets any worse,\u201d Boone said. \u201cWe\u2019ll be communicating with our guys a lot. We\u2019re able to test oxygen levels and things like that if guys are having trouble. So, we\u2019re paying attention to it, and we\u2019ll take the guidance from the league and the weather and the smoke people.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

SNTV videographer Davidde Corran in East Hanover, New Jersey, AP White House reporters Seung Min Kim and Will Weissert and AP Science Writer Seth Borenstein in Washington and AP Sports Writers Ron Blum in New York and Jim Vertuno in Austin, Texas, contributed to this report.<\/p>\n

Read more NFL suspends Arizona Cardinals executive indefinitely for violating league\u2019s gambling policy<\/a><\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

\n See more of AP\u2019s World Cup coverage here\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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