The World Cup final will be held in New Jersey on Sunday at the scheduled 8pm kick-off time, despite concerns over “dangerous” conditions. European champions Spain will take on defending world champions Argentina at MetLife Stadium in a match that will forever go down as an action-packed instant classic.
However, smoke from the Canadian wildfires had put the hosting of the World Cup final in doubt, with poor air quality potentially a problem for players, staff and fans. This week, air quality was rated “unhealthy for sensitive groups,” which NJ.gov defines as people with asthma, lung disease, and heart disease, as well as the elderly, children, and infants. Meanwhile, health experts have warned that the weather could be “dangerous” for some fans.
Dr Vin Gupta, a pulmonologist, told the Daily Mail: “Not only is the air quality going to be terrible, it’s hot and that can cause extreme stress on the heart (for athletes). This is a very powerful and dangerous one-two punch for the human body. It will be important to keep core body temperature as low as possible.”
However, FIFA has no plans to change the time or location of the World Cup final. Bloomberg reported that White House officials confirmed that no large public meeting was scheduled on the matter.
However, there have been private discussions about the decision between FIFA and Andrew Guiliani, head of the White House’s World Cup task force. Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the National Weather Service confirmed that staff are stationed at the FIFA command center in Miami and will continue to monitor the environment over the weekend.
The match took place as Spain and Argentina were prepared to fight regardless of the weather at MetLife Stadium. Luis de la Fuente’s side secured their place by defeating France 2-0 in Sunday’s final, with Mikel Oyarzabal converting a penalty in the first half and Pedro Polo finishing off the match in the second half.
Meanwhile, Argentina recorded a shock 2-1 come-from-behind victory over England on Wednesday night, with the Three Lions eliminated from the competition in ruthless fashion. Anthony Gordon took the lead in the 55th minute, but Enzo Fernandes equalized for Argentina with five minutes remaining.
Despite being eliminated in the semi-finals, England’s role in North America is far from over. They will face France in the third-place game Saturday night at 10 p.m. at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida.
