Canadian wildfire smoke unlikely to postpone World Cup final, expert says

Canadian wildfire smoke drifting into northern New Jersey is highly unlikely to postpone Sunday’s World Cup final but worsening air quality could still force a delay, according to a medical expert.

Dr. Myles Druckman, senior vice-president and global medical director at International SOS, said officials will likely monitor conditions throughout the day and could consider delaying kickoff if smoke becomes severe around New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.

“What we’re all hoping for is that we’ll get both the weather clearing some of the smoke and the weather changing directions, as well as potentially the fire dissipating,” Druckman said in a phone interview. “We’re hoping for that as well as the temperature coming down a bit too, because the combination of heat and smoke is never good.”

Druckman noted that the New Jersey area has experienced “yellow-outs” in recent years.

“You’re driving with your lights on,” said the McGill University alumnus and Toronto native, now based in Santa Monica, Calif. “I think that if we get into that kind of situation, then we’ll probably see a delay, but we’re all hoping that that’s not going to be the case.”

Hazy skies have lingered over the New York-New Jersey area for a few days, though it remains unclear how much, if at all, the smoke will affect Sunday’s final. The World Health Organization forecast calls for an improvement to “moderate” air quality in East Rutherford.

Air quality improved Friday, but the uncertainty lies in what will follow what could be up to 3.17 centimetres of rain expected to fall Saturday.

The wildfire smoke has already forced sporting event cancellations in Canada and the United States this week.

The Vancouver Whitecaps’ Major League Soccer game Thursday night in Chicago was postponed, while a Canadian Premier League match between Forge FC and Pacific FC in Hamilton was rescheduled due to poor air quality caused by wildfires in northern Ontario.

The New York Mets and Phillies played on Thursday night in Philadelphia but moved the start time up one hour due to air quality concerns.

Druckman watched part of the game on television and noticed the deteriorating conditions as the evening advanced.

“You could see the haze roll over the stadium,” he said. “It’s definitely something that they’re going to have to watch very carefully.”

Phillies star Bryce Harper told ESPN it was “not the greatest idea, I guess, to come out here and play in this type of weather.”

Druckman said organizers also have to consider the health of tens of thousands of spectators, especially with the vast majority spending the match shouting and cheering while breathing smoky air.

“People have to consider all the people in the stadium, not just the players, who could be affected by it,” he said.

While New Jersey is far from the wildfire source, Druckman said smoke can still irritate the respiratory system.

“You’re not going to probably see some of the really dangerous small-particle chemicals because they dissipate more quickly than the larger particles,” he said. “But all of those can cause harm to people’s respiratory system, and itchy eyes and irritation.”

While some organizations, including the CFL, have established clear air-quality protocols, FIFA has not publicly outlined what threshold would trigger a postponement.

Druckman said increasingly frequent wildfire smoke events will force sports organizations to establish clearer standards.

“These types of events push it into the forefront for all organizations,” he said. “It is going to push sports organizations to develop some standards so at least everyone is on the same playing field, as they say, when it comes to this.

“We’re unfortunately in a brave new world where these things are happening more frequently, and everyone is going to be watching and planning around these unfortunate events when they occur.”

— With files from The Associated Press

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 17, 2026.

The Canadian Press