Will air quality in New York affect the FIFA World Cup final?

The FIFA World Cup final match between Spain and Argentina could face delays due to inclement weather in the area.

The final match to determine the World Cup champion will take place at MetLife “New York/New Jersey” Stadium, but weather officials will be on their toes to determine whether the match will be affected.

Multiple Canadian wildfires produced large clouds of smoke that seeped into the United States, including New York and the Tri-State area, triggering U.S. air quality alerts. More than 800 active fires burned across Canada, which allowed smoke to travel to parts of the United States, including the Midwest and the Northeast.

FIFA officials are monitoring the air quality ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final at MetLife Stadium.

The match is set for Sunday, July 19 with kickoff at 3 p.m. ET.

In the event that the match is postponed, it would be the first time in FIFA World Cup history that the championship final match was rescheduled.

In addition to the wildfire smoke, New York is expected to have multiple severe thunderstorms hit the Tri-State area on Saturday, with potential flooding downpours and localized damaging wind gusts, according to AccuWeather.

1930– Uruguay defeats Argentina 4-2 in the first World Cup event held in Uruguay.

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1930– Uruguay defeats Argentina 4-2 in the first World Cup event held in Uruguay.

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1934– Italy over Czechoslovakia 2-1.

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1938– Italy defeats Hungary 4-2. The World Cup would not be played again until 1950 because of the Second World War.

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1950– Uruguay wins it’s second World Cup with a 2-1 win over Brazil.

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1954– Germany wins 3-2 over Hungary.

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1958– Brazil celebrates by running with the flag of Sweden after defeating them 5-2.

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1962– Brazil 3-1 over Czechoslovakia.

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1966– England defeats Germany 4-2 in England.

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1970– Brazil wins 4-1 over Italy in Mexico.

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1974– Germany wins at home in Munich over Netherlands, 2-1.

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1978– Argentina wins it’s first World Cup 3-1 over Netherlands in Argentina.

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1982– Italy wins it’s third championship over Germany 3-1.

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1986– Argentina wins over Germany 3-2.

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1990– Germany gets revenge on Argentina 1-0.

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1994– Brazil defeats Italy 3-2 in penalties in Pasadena, Calif.

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1998– France wins it’s first cup over Brazil, 3-0.

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2006– Italy beats France 5-3 in penalties.

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2010– Spain defeats Netherlands 1-0 in South Africa.

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2022– Argentina wins it’s third World Cup defeating France 4-2 in penalties.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY Sports: Will air quality in New York affect the FIFA World Cup final?

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