Spain’s World Cup final preparations impacted amid wildfire smoke with flood watch in place

Jul 18, 2026 - 18:00

Spain have been ramping up their preparations as they get ready to take on Argentina in the World Cup Final.

La Roja are bidding to become world champions for just the second time, following on from 2010 when they won their maiden World Cup trophy thanks to a famous goal from Andrés Iniesta.

Spain are in a World Cup final for the first time since 2010

But 16 years on from that 1-0 AET victory, a much tougher challenge awaits in the form of Lionel Messi and the defending champions.

Spain have also had to contend with some disruption to their preparations for Sunday’s huge contest due to hazardous air conditions as a result of smoke from wildfires burning primarily in Canada, but also in northern Minnesota.

According to a report from The Athletic, Spain’s final training session before the final in Whippany, New Jersey – the former home of the New York Red Bulls and future home of NWSL side Gotham FC – was cancelled due to adverse weather as lightning rolls through the region.

The weather has also reportedly impacted the start of Argentina’s final training session some five miles away, with training delayed, though the players are now thought to be out on the field.

Earlier in the week, officials in many U.S. cities urged local residents to stay inside due to the smoke from the wildfires, and advised that if they are to venture outside, then to wear masks due to the air quality having reached unhealthy levels to anyone, including athletes.

In fact, smoke from wildfires – which is estimated to contain upwards of 1,000 toxins – kills tens of thousands of people a year, according to numerous medical studies, due to its ability to trigger inflammation and attack virtually every system in the body.

talkSPORT host Adrian Durham said the smoke in the air was immediately noticeable on Thursday as soon as he landed in New York and got off the plane.

“We flew in [on Thursday afternoon] and as soon as we left LaGuardia airport [in Queens] you could smell it and it hit you straight away – it was very smoky,” he said.

“On Friday morning you could still smell a bit of smoke but it looks clearer.”

Fox meteorologist later expanded on this, telling Hawksbee and Jacobs, “For the final, the winds should be shifting and we should have improving conditions.”

Argentina's final training session ahead of Sunday's match against Spain has yet to begin due to the weather — Argentina’s final training session ahead of Sunday’s match against Spain was delayed due to adverse weather

Players have since taken to the training field for their final session

Messi is bidding to lead Argentina to back-to-back World Cup titles

All smoke is expected to clear the area well before the whistle sounds at 3 p.m local time on Sunday for the final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Spain’s World Cup final preparations under threat from wildfire smoke

Spain’s players have been training in northern New Jersey, but it is unclear exactly how their session on Thursday went, with media personnel only able to observe the first 15 minutes of what was scheduled to be a session lasting one hour.

“These are high-level athletes who are moving a lot of air through their lungs during every practice in every game,” Dr. Courtney Howard, Global Climate and Health Alliance official, and an emergency room physician said, via AP.

“And really they shouldn’t be practicing outside if the air quality levels are at hazardous sort of ranges for wildfire-related air pollution.

“That’s the time to schedule a practice inside. You could put an N95 mask on them, but trying to make sure that everybody’s mask is well-fitted, I suspect that’s not the best choice.

“I would go find an air-conditioned indoor facility that’s a clean-air shelter.”

Smoke has travelled from Canada to parts of the East Coast of the U.S from wildfires — Smoke had travelled from Canada to parts of the East Coast of the U.S from wildfires

Much of the East Coast and Canada is under an Air Quality Health Advisory as the wildfire smoke gradually moves across the area

Officials in many U.S. cities had urged local residents to stay inside

New York resident wearing a mask — There are concerns over the air quality in New York and people have been seen wearing masks

On Thursday, the particle pollution in New Jersey was reportedly more than seven times higher than the standard set by the World Health Organization.

“It’s not healthy for anyone to be in the smoke, especially if you’re exercising,” Mary Johnson, Harvard School of Public Health environmental health research scientist, said.

“You’re exchanging more air, so you’re being exposed to even more pollutants, and even healthy individuals at some point will have some type of health effect from the exposure to the smoke.

“So, even though these are healthy, young individuals, it’s not a good idea to be exercising in this type of environment.”

But according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Air Now monitoring system, the “unhealthy” air got slightly cleaner by the mid-afternoon, which saw them change their level of risk to being “unhealthy for sensitive” groups.

Argentina, up until this point, had been unaffected by the smoke – although they have experienced some travel disruption – after having opted to remain in Marietta, Georgia, to train after their 2-1 comeback victory over England on Wednesday.

It is unclear how much Spain's training has been impacted by the smoke from the wildfires — It is unclear how much Spain’s training was been impacted by the smoke from the wildfires before their final training session was cancelled due to adverse weather

Pedro Porro's strike in the second half was enough to seal a 2-0 victory for Spain — Pedro Porro’s semi-final goal secured a 2-0 victory for Spain and cemented their place in the final

Trinity Rodman calls out NWSL for allowing game to go ahead

The air quality certainly had an impact on the NWSL clash between Gotham FC and Washington Spirit on Wednesday night, so much so that the game – a 1-0 win for Gotham FC – had hydration breaks every 15 minutes.

“Air quality was rough,” Spirit star Trinity Rodman said after the game. “Not to make excuses at all, but I think on both sides we were all like, ‘another break, another break, another break.’”

“If we have to have a hydration break every 15 minutes, then we shouldn’t be playing the game, and that’s my opinion,” she continued, with the USWNT also shown with an oxygen mask on during one of the breaks.

“But at the end of the day, there’s 40,000 people. It’s a whole event, so it’s really tough. It’s just a really hard situation for everyone to work around.”

The NWSL did closely monitor the situation ahead of its 8 p.m. ET kickoff, with the game being played at Citi Field – home of the MLB team New York Mets – some 22 miles away from MetLife Stadium.

The mandatory hydration breaks, which have also been seen at the World Cup, albeit not as frequent, were triggered due to a procedural clause in the NWSL regulations.

Spirit star Trinity Rodman complained of the air quality at Citi Field in New York

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According to The Athletic, the rules state that, “Should the air quality index (AQI) sit between 100 and 150, it triggers one hydration break per half.

“If the AQI reads between 150 and 180, two breaks per half become mandatory. Above 180 is when delays and cancellations come into effect.

“Any AQI above 151 is considered “unhealthy” by the U.S. government.”

At the time of kickoff, the AQI reading was 171.

“I think if it were different circumstances, maybe the game would have been pushed,” Spirit defender Tara Rudd said postgame.

“But because there’s so many people here that we played, so I don’t know. I think, I mean, it’s not an excuse, but the water breaks, even disrupting the game, two water breaks a half is insane.”

Good omens for Spain

As Spain prepare to go to battle against La Albiceleste, who have added yet more controversy to their 2026 World Cup campaign after their post-match political stunt after their win over England, it is La Roja who perhaps enter the Final with some good omens on their side.

Luis De La Fuente, Head Coach of Spain, speaks with his players during a hydration break during the FIFA World Cup 2026 Round of 32 match between Spain and Austria at Los Angeles Stadium on July 02, 2026 in Inglewood, California. — Hydration breaks have been criticised, but they are crucial in avoiding heat illness

Spain have some good omens behind them going into the Final against Argentina

Firstly, they are the first team in history to keep six clean sheets at a single World Cup tournament.

Furthermore, there has also been a patten stemming back 14 years that suggests that the team that wins the first semi-final, and therefore has an additional day’s rest than their opponent, often goes on to win the Final.

In 13 of the past 14 finals across men’s and women’s World Cups and European championships, that has been the case, per The Athletic.

The only time that the pattern hasn’t been followed is the Women’s Euros in 2017 when the Netherlands defeated Denmark 4-2 despite having won the second semi-final.

However, on this occasion, the final-four ties were both played on the same day, and thus there was only a two-hour difference between when the two games ended, as opposed to a whole 24 hour difference.

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