New York's staging of the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium on Sunday has been overshadowed by thick smoke from Canadian wildfires that has blanketed the city and much of the eastern seaboard, prompting air quality warnings and flight cancellations. The problem is particularly unwelcome given the city was chosen for the final largely for its global appeal and favourable timezone rather than stadium quality, and rivals in Dallas and Los Angeles, which missed out on hosting, have reportedly enjoyed the irony given their own venues face fewer climatic risks.

New York's emergency management officials issued a "code red" air quality alert from Tuesday to Thursday, urging residents to stay indoors and avoid strenuous exercise, while an advisory was upgraded from "unhealthy" to "very unhealthy". The Statue of Liberty was temporarily obscured, and a National Women's Soccer League match in Queens was played in a smoky haze with extra breaks added under the league's poor air policy. Conditions had begun improving by Friday, with rain forecast for Saturday expected to help clear the smoke before the final, which is set to draw a global television audience of around 1.6 billion.