World Cup appears to have dodged worse wildfire smoke
- Posted on July 18, 2026
- By Los Angeles Times
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- 1 min read
In brief
The FIFA World Cup final at MetLife Stadium narrowly avoided severe disruption from Canadian wildfire smoke that blanketed the tristate area. Weekend precipitation and thunderstorms proved beneficial, clearing hazardous air conditions that had affected the region for several days. The weather system brought temporary flash flood concerns to Manhattan and northeastern New Jersey but ultimately improved air quality just in time for Sunday's championship match, allowing the event to proceed under safer atmospheric conditions.
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World Cup appears to have dodged worse wildfire smoke
Showers and thunderstorms triggered a flash flood warning for Manhattan and northeastern New Jersey on Saturday, but the rain also helped blow out the smoke from Canadian wildfires that had choked the tristate area for days and threatened to disrupt Sunday’s World Cup final at MetLife Stadium.
