World Cup 2026 latest: buildup to France v England third-place playoff and Spain v Argentina final

To the wildfire smoke that is threatening to disrupt tomorrow’s final in New Jersey – from Matt Hughes in New York …

>Wildfires in Canada’s wildlands have led to thick smoke spreading south across many of the United States’s eastern cities, with an air quality advisory altered from “unhealthy” to “very unhealthy” late on Thursday.

>New York city hall’s emergency management officials issued a citywide code red for Tuesday to Thursday, telling residents to stay inside unless absolutely necessary and to avoid strenuous exercise, hardly conditions for the biggest match in global sport, which is expected to attract a worldwide television audience of 1.6 billion.

>The smoke was clearly visible in downtown Manhattan, unlike the Statue of Liberty across the Hudson River that was temporarily hidden from view, with conditions so bad that many flights from New Jersey’s Newark airport were cancelled.