Trump won't hesitate to postpone World Cup final over Canadian wildfire smoke: U.S. ambassador

U.S. President Donald Trump is prepared to demand the postponement of the World Cup final if smoke from Canadian wildfires poses a health risk to players or fans, according to U.S. Ambassador to Canada Pete Hoekstra.

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If the pollution is so bad that it's dangerous to the players or it's dangerous to the fans, the first person to say don't hold the game will be the President of the United States.

"If the pollution is so bad that it's dangerous to the players or it's dangerous to the fans, the first person to say don't hold the game will be the President of the United States," Hoekstra told Global News in an exclusive interview. He confirmed that conversations with FIFA are underway regarding the air quality for Sunday's final between Spain and Argentina.

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We're not going to jeopardize the health and well-being of the players, or from people around the world, by setting a game that is in unsafe conditions.

"We're not going to jeopardize the health and well-being of the players, or from people around the world, by setting a game that is in unsafe conditions," Hoekstra added. The final is scheduled to take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, an outdoor venue where air quality had reached "unhealthy for everyone" levels on Friday.

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You can sense the atmosphere a little and you can see there's smoke in the air.

Smoke from Canadian wildfires has blanketed large areas of the United States, affecting over 100 million Americans. This has led to threats of additional tariffs on Canada from the U.S. president. The hazardous air quality has already caused postponements in other sports, including an MLS match between the Chicago Fire and Vancouver Whitecaps, and at least one MLB baseball game.

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But for a game that is as important as a World Cup final, you have to be able to shut out external factors as much as possible.