Saturday, July 18, 2026

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July 18, 2026 1:14 PM IST

High pollution levels a concern for Sunday’s FIFA World Cup final

Hazy skies in New York City on Thursday (July 16) have raised concerns about high pollution levels ahead of Sunday’s (July 19) FIFA World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain at the New Jersey Stadium.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires have been moving south over New York State causing an Air Quality Alert to be declared in New York City on Thursday. Weather forecasters are expecting rain on Saturday (July 18), the day before the final, which may help to improve the air quality.

The Stadium is set to host a capacity crowd of over 82,500 on Sunday with last-minute tickets on sale on FIFA’s platform ranging between $7,380 and $29,995 each as of Thursday 1400GMT.

Spain knocked out red hot France in the semi-finals to make their second ever appearance at a final following their World Cup triumph in South Africa in 2010.

Argentina pulled off yet another late comeback to knock out England in their semi-final and keep their hopes alive of being the first nation to successfully defend their World Cup title since Brazil did so in 1962.

(Reuters)

Last updated on: 18th July 2026

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