Wildfire haze hangs over eastern US and World Cup final

NEW YORK - Heavy, acrid wildfire smoke blanketed much of the eastern United States on July 18, marring preparations for the weekend’s highly awaited World Cup final to be held in an open stadium in New Jersey.

The wildfires burning in Canada have sent the noxious smog billowing across the border, with residents in New York, the US capital Washington and the American Midwest urged to stay indoors due to dangerously low air quality.

At one point on July 18, the smoke made New York the most polluted city in the world, followed closely by Toronto and Washington, according to air tracker IQAir.

The marquee World Cup match, pitting Argentina against Spain, will be played on July 19 in an open-air stadium across the river from Manhattan, where the skyline was obscured by dense smoke and people wore masks outdoors.

Tournament organisers are “monitoring closely,” White House World Cup task force executive director Andrew Giuliani told a briefing.

But a respite of sorts was expected to come in the form of heavy storms hitting the Big Apple on July 18, which could wash some of the smoke away – but also trigger flash flooding and dangerous winds.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani asked residents to stay indoors and avoid travel.

“Thunderstorms are expected to bring damaging winds strong enough to down trees and power lines, along with heavy rainfall that could cause flash flooding,” Mamdani wrote on X.

“Smoke will continue to affect the area through this afternoon,” the US National Weather Service said.

In Washington, the city’s department of homeland security and emergency management said air quality was “unhealthy for at-risk groups” including children and the elderly, urging people to limit time outdoors.

More than 950 wildfires were raging across Canada as of the morning of July 18, the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System reported.

US President Donald Trump has blamed Canada for the smoke pollution, threatening to impose additional tariffs and accusing the northern neighbour of “willful negligence” by “not properly maintaining” its forests.

Ontario province’s premier, Doug Ford, blasted the accusations as shameful and “absolutely unacceptable,” noting that Canadian crews have routinely deployed to US states to help with wildfire and other emergency operations.

“You don’t get on and start threatening and criticising because guess what? One day it’s going to be your turn,” Ford, without mentioning Trump by name, told journalists in Thunder Bay, where many residents have evacuated.

“We’re going to be down there without hesitation to support our neighbours – which we should be,” he added.

Advocates have stressed the connection between repeated episodes of wildfire smoke and climate change. AFP