Home / Sports / Wildfire Smoke Chokes N.J. as Spain Practices for World Cup Final
Wildfire Smoke Chokes N.J. as Spain Practices for World Cup Final
17 Jul
Summary
- Spain's national team practiced outdoors in hazardous wildfire smoke.
- Major League Baseball games were played despite poor air quality.
- The World Cup final is scheduled for Sunday, with smoke expected to clear.
Spain's national soccer team practiced outdoors in northern New Jersey on Thursday, a day before the World Cup final against Argentina. The practice took place under hazardous air conditions caused by smoke from Canadian wildfires, which had settled over the northeastern and midwestern United States.
Government officials and health experts had strongly advised residents to remain indoors and use N95 or KN95 masks if venturing outside due to the poor air quality. Despite these warnings, professional baseball games proceeded in Philadelphia, though with earlier start times to mitigate exposure.
Spain's practice commenced at 11 a.m. ET, with reports suggesting the session was scheduled for one hour. While the timing may have allowed the team to avoid the worst of the day's air conditions, the decision to practice outdoors drew attention. Argentina, meanwhile, was in the Atlanta area following their semifinal victory.
The smoke impacting the New Jersey and New York region is anticipated to dissipate before Sunday's World Cup championship game, which is slated for 3 p.m. ET. Neither FIFA nor the Spanish Football Association provided comment when approached by reporters.
