Wildfire smoke, air quality concerns wreaking havoc on MLB, MLS schedules: Live updates

Wildfires continue to race across Canada and the smoke is carrying into the northern United States.

On Thursday, July 16, Chicago, Detroit and New York were the cities deemed to have the worst air quality not only in the country, but in the world, according to IQ Air’s World Air Quality live ranking. Chicago and Detroit have an Air Quality Index of 416 and 414, respectively, which ranks as “hazardous,” with New York, which sits at 208, as “very unhealthy.”

The poor air quality is causing games to be postponed in Major League Baseball and Major League Soccer. In the NWSL, Wednesday’s match at New York’s Citi Field between the Washington Spirit and Gotham FC, which served as Sam Kerr’s return to the league, featured hydration breaks to keep players fueled in the less-than-ideal conditions.

Leagues are monitoring air quality and other factors to see if further changes need to be made.

The World Cup final is scheduled to kick off at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday, July 19 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, just outside of New York. Officials are projecting for conditions to clear by match day, but are on alert.

Here’s a look at what games are affected:
-Mets game adjusted with more potential changes looming

The Philadelphia Phillies moved up the start of their Thursday, July 16 game against the New York Mets from 7:05 to 6:10 p.m. ET, with air quality expected to worsen as the night continues at Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park. The air quality index 45 minutes before game time was 176, or very unhealthy. It is scheduled to peak at 180 by 9 p.m., according to AccuWeather, as the Phillies and Mets play the lone game on the schedule following the All-Star break.

Yet MLB faces more significant problems Friday.

With all 30 teams in action, air quality is forecast in the “dangerous” range as games begin in Cleveland, Chicago and Milwaukee.

The Fire announced the Thursday, July 16 game against the Vancouver Whitecaps at Soldier Field is being postponed until Oct. 8 because of poor air quality from Canadian wildfires. A thick haze has shrouded Chicago all day, and the city’s air quality was rated as “hazardous” by AirNow, a partnership of multiple federal, state and local agencies, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Air quality above 300 is considered very unhealthy for everyone. Chicago’s was at 597.