---
title: "Smoke over New York: FIFA has no plans to relocate the 2026 World Cup final"
description: "Thick smoke from Canadian wildfires has enveloped New York, but FIFA has no plans to relocate the 2026 World Cup final. Meteorologists promise improved weather by Sunday, when Spain will play Argentina. 🌫️⚽🇺🇸"
date: 2026-07-18T04:52:00.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/fifa-has-no-plans-to-relocate-the-2026-world-cup-final-despite-smoke
tags: [fifa, world-cup-2026, canada-wildfires, new-york, andrew-giuliani]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Smoke over New York: FIFA has no plans to relocate the 2026 World Cup final

![Wildfire with thick orange smoke over a residential area with a pool, illustrating the theme of smoke over New York and the stability of the 2026 World Cup final](https://xab.info/media/2026/07/18/fifa-ne-planirovet-prenosit-final-chm-2026-nesmotrya-na-dym/fifa-ne-planirovet-prenosit-final-chm-2026-nesmotrya-na-dym-1.webp)

The orange sky over New York and the thick smog enveloping the metropolis are the result of massive wildfires in Canada. However, despite the deteriorating air quality, the organizers of the 2026 FIFA World Cup have no intention of changing the schedule for the tournament's main match.

### The final will take place as planned

According to informed sources, FIFA has no plans to postpone the final match. The game between the Spain and Argentina national teams is scheduled to take place on Sunday at 15:00 local time at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The arena has a capacity of 80,000 spectators, and organizers expect to welcome a full house of fans.

The situation with the smoke is under close scrutiny. Representatives of the U.S. National Weather Service have been present at FIFA's command center in Miami throughout the tournament. They continue to monitor weather conditions to ensure the safety of participants and spectators.

### Forecast: smoke will dissipate

The situation regarding visibility and air quality in New York remains tense. Bob Oravec, a senior forecaster at the U.S. Weather Prediction Center, warned that the smoke blanket could intensify on Saturday. However, he stated that by Sunday, most of the smog should dissipate.

"Sunday will not be terrible for the World Cup. Everything we see indicates that the smoke will clear up specifically on Sunday," the meteorologist noted.

Although informal discussions regarding the wildfire situation have already taken place involving FIFA representatives and Andrew Giuliani, head of the White House World Cup working group, no large-scale official meetings on this issue have been scheduled yet.

### Causes and political consequences

The catastrophic wildfires in Canada that caused this smog are a result of hotter and drier conditions linked to climate change. Hundreds of ignition points are directing dangerous plumes of smoke across the entire North American continent.

The environmental issue has already escalated into a political dispute. Donald Trump criticized Canada over the fires, accusing the northern neighbor of failing to contain the blaze. Notably, Washington itself regularly turns to Ottawa for assistance when wildfires rage within American states.

### Strengthening security measures

In addition to weather-related threats, tournament organizers have faced other security challenges. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security reported the downing of dozens of drones near stadiums and fan zones during the World Cup. The highest number of such incidents was recorded in Atlanta, forcing authorities to tighten control over the airspace above match venues.