The Spanish national team practiced outside in East Hanover, New Jersey on Friday, even as plumes of wildfire smoke drifting down from Canada painted the sky a hazy gray and raised health concerns ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final against Argentina.
Midfielder Mikel Merino admitted he could see and smell the smoke. He could feel it too, probably. But with the biggest game of his life looming, he said the squad is doing its best to tune it all out.
“For 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,” Merino said Friday. “Luckily, we are being careful with every detail thanks to the federation and the organizers of the World Cup.”
Air quality warnings were out. Spain trained anyway.
Health experts and air quality monitors have been warning for days that conditions in the New York and New Jersey area are borderline hazardous. The AQI has fluctuated between unhealthy and moderate depending on the wind shift, but the particulate matter from those Canadian wildfires doesn’t care about a game schedule. It attacks the lungs, triggers asthma attacks, and spikes ambulance calls within hours, according to multiple medical studies.
Still, Luis de la Fuente’s side went through their paces outside after beating France on Tuesday. FIFA and the Spanish federation haven’t responded to questions about whether indoor training was ever seriously considered.
Mark Parrington, a senior scientist with the Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service, said the general rule is pretty simple: when the air is full of pollutants, don’t exercise outdoors.
“There’s the obvious sort of respiratory illness, cardiovascular issues, vulnerable people with asthma and things like this,” Parrington said. “Then for sure they’re going to feel the effects.”
Sunday’s forecast? Rain, then maybe more smoke.
The forecast for the weekend is a mixed bag. Saturday could bring up to an inch and a quarter of rain, which might help clear the air temporarily. But Parrington warned that if the fires intensify again Saturday, more smoke could follow the rain right into Sunday.
“Following that, it looks like there is another smoky air mass following in behind that system, but it’s not clear right now how much or how it might reach New York or New Jersey, when it comes to actually Sunday,” he said.
About 80,000 fans are expected to pack MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, an open-air venue where the NFL’s Giants and Jets usually play. The White House is paying attention too. According to Sky Sports, President Donald Trump is expected to meet with FIFA President Gianni Infantino later Friday to discuss the potential health risks posed by the smoke.
The World Health Organization’s current forecast shows air quality improving to “moderate” by game day, but that’s a long way from clean. And if the smoke shifts again, the final could be played under conditions that doctors say are dangerous for anyone with a respiratory system.
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