Whitecaps game in Chicago postponed due to wildfire smoke

The Whitecaps were set to resume their 2026 MLS season Thursday in Chicago.

Wildfire smoke being blown down through the American Midwest and across Eastern Canada and the United States has forced the postponement of Thursday’s game in Chicago between the Vancouver Whitecaps and the ironically named Chicago Fire, according to reports from The Athletic and elsewhere. Neither the Whitecaps nor Major League Soccer have yet responded to a request for comment. More than 800 wildfires are burning north of the border.

Thursday afternoon the air-quality readings in Chicago were in the hazardous range and the city’s beaches and pools were closed by the authorities. Outdoor programs in the city’s parks were also cancelled. The match was to be the first league game since May for both teams as MLS resumed its schedule following a six-week break for the World Cup.

The Fire were set to debut new signing Robert Lewandowski, the Polish star who signed with Chicago this summer. It was to be a fitting match for such a bow: the Whitecaps are led by Lewandowski’s old teammate from Bayern Munich, Thomas Müller. No one has assisted on more club goals for Lewandowski than Müller, such was the strength of their partnership.

The Whitecaps have played two games since the MLS season took a break in late May, defeating Cavalry FC over two legs in the past week in the Canadian Championship quarterfinals. Fires in Canada’s boreal forest are normal, but the size and ferocity of them have become stronger over the past decade as climate change warms the atmosphere and dries out forests and soil. More to come ... pjohnston@postmedia.com

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