Topline<\/p>\n
FIFA president Gianni Infantino will meet with White House officials Friday to discuss health hazards for the World Cup final, according to Sky News, addressing potentially poor air quality caused by wildfire smoke from Canada.<\/p>\n
U.S. President Donald Trump and Gianni Infantino, President of FIFA.<\/p>\n
Photo by Kevin Dietsch\/Getty ImagesKey Facts<\/p>\n
Infantino and the White House will discuss \u201cpotential health dangers posed by wildfire smoke in the New York-New Jersey area,\u201d according to a post <\/a>by Sky News sports reporter Rob Harris.<\/p>\n The White House confirmed Thursday that President Donald Trump would meet<\/a> with FIFA officials at Trump Tower on Friday.<\/p>\n Wildfire smoke continued to shroud the sky in New York City and New Jersey on Friday, with the potential for more smoke to pour into the area into Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n The air quality forecast for East Rutherford, New Jersey, where the final between Spain and Argentina will take place, is currently favorable for the start of game time Sunday, with a moderate air quality index of 63, according to IQAir<\/a>, which notes an unhealthy index of 126 for New York City at the same time.<\/p>\n However, Sunday\u2019s air quality forecast could change quickly, as 126 fires in Canada remain \u201cout of control,\u201d according to the country\u2019s latest data<\/a>, which says continued fire growth and wildfire smoke are expected to \u201ccontinue over the coming days, with heavy smoke being emitted by many of the wildfires in western Ontario.”<\/p>\n Air quality forecasting considers some \u201cquite unpredictable\u201d factors, according to IQAir, which acknowledges the long-range transportation of pollution can further impact the accuracy of air quality forecasts.<\/p>\n Forbes has reached out to FIFA for comment.<\/p>\n Will The World Cup Final Be Postponed?<\/p>\n It appears unlikely. As health alerts have been issued amid the wildfire smoke in New York and New Jersey, FIFA is not concerned about the impact of poor air quality on the World Cup final as the weather forecast improves, according to unnamed sources who spoke to ESPN<\/a>. The National Weather Service is expecting<\/a> sunny conditions and a high of 82 degrees Fahrenheit for the game on Sunday.<\/p>\n Tangent<\/p>\n A Major League Soccer matchup between Chicago Fire and the Vancouver Whitecaps was canceled Thursday and moved to October after wildfire smoke created hazardous air quality in Chicago. The Philadelphia Phillies and New York Mets game on Thursday was moved up<\/a> by an hour due to air quality concerns in Philadelphia, which has continued experiencing poor air <\/a>quality Friday.<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n Nearly 900 fires are active in Canada as of Friday afternoon. A Wednesday statement from Canadian fire officials said more fire growth and ignitions were expected in the coming days due to hot and dry weather. So far, over 120,000 people have been evacuated amid the blazes. Chicago and Detroit are the cities that have been most impacted by the smoke, experiencing air quality indexes in the hazardous range of 425 to 450, according to IQAir, which notes New York and Washington, D.C., have experienced unhealthy indexes around 180. IQAir expects air quality to improve by the weekend due to shifting winds, though it acknowledged<\/a> \u201cperiodic smoke episodes may continue over the next few days, with additional plumes possible as long as wildfires remain active in Minnesota and Canada.\u201d<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n Argentina-Spain World Cup Final Is Most Expensive U.S. Sporting Event Ever<\/a> (Forbes)<\/p>\n