Reporter in New Jersey issues worrying update ahead of World Cup final as training sessions cancelled

Spain and Argentina are set to play in the World Cup final on Sunday at the New York-New Jersey Stadium; however, their preparations have not gone to plan as the training sessions were cancelled.

There were fears that the final could be postponed or delayed due to the American authorities issuing health warnings to the city of New York due to the smoke that had been blown down from wildfires in Canada.

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 due to thick smoke spreading south across many of the United States' eastern cities, which could have a serious impact on the players and the spectacle of the World Cup final.

While these fears may have eased as the week has progressed, there have been fresh issues caused at the World Cup as both Spain and Argentina have had to cancel their training sessions.

Spain and Argentina in chaos before World Cup final

The conditions in New York have not been ideal, as demonstrated by video footage with rain falling heavily from the skies due to the thunderstorms.

Spain were forced to initially delay their final training session at New York Red Bulls' former base, Melanie Lane in Whippany, before they had to cancel it because of electrical thunderstorms in New Jersey.

Reporter Guillem Balague posted a video of the torrential conditions in New Jersey, with roads around Spain's training base flooded.

Looooota of water on the road!! pic.twitter.com/JzD5paWQUv

— Guillem Balague (@GuillemBalague) July 18, 2026

It is now understood that the Spanish squad are set to take part in an extended gym session inside instead.

Meanwhile, Argentina’s training was also disrupted by the weather, with theirs set to take place at the Red Bulls Performance Center in Morristown, New Jersey.

🚨🚨| Despite the storm, Argentina are training just 24 hours before the final!

After being forced onto stationary bikes indoors when the lightning first hit, Scaloni's squad have gotten their outdoor session in, unlike Spain, whose training was cancelled entirely. https://t.co/JnlLCMHmNF pic.twitter.com/zZLaDgbBOM

— CUPID FC (@CUPID_FC) July 18, 2026

The Argentines again, like Spain, initially delayed their training session due to lightning strikes, but unlike the European side, the three-time World Cup winners did emerge in the rain on the pitch to attempt to get some sort of advantage for their final clash.

Spain may be frustrated they were not able to have their preferred preparation as they aim to secure their second World Cup title, while Argentina are fighting the elements to ensure they become only the third nation to win this competition in consecutive tournaments.