De La Fuente, who said teenage winger Lamine Yamal is fit after sitting out training, preferred to talk up Sunday’s final instead of focus on Argentina’s tactics.
“On Sunday we will watch a great show, two great national teams, very similar in some aspects in terms of attitudes and talent,” he added.
“I think it is going to be an amazing final, each team will try and take the game to their own side.
“I believe both Spain and Argentina will have a gameplan where talent and good football will rule over everything else.
“The referee will be there to support us and that the football is at a level expected of a World Cup final.”
Three-time world champions Argentina are looking to become the first team since Brazil in 1958 and 1962 to win back-to-back men’s World Cups.
Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni was not asked about his side’s tactics during his news conference on Friday.
However, he did talk about about his friendship with Spain boss De La Fuente, formed in 2017 when De la Fuente was an instructor as Scaloni studied for his professional coaching licence.
“He knows me from a personal point of view,” said Scaloni.
“We are friends but that doesn’t mean he knows what I am thinking about when it comes to football.
“We haven’t really been talking about playing style. We do have similar patterns of play when it comes to trying to have possession of the ball.
Wentworth, who describes himself as “queer and disabled”, has recently had a series of urological problems. He says doctors often attribute his symptoms to his cerebral palsy first, rather than attempting to properly diagnose issues.
“The thing is, disabled people know their bodies incredibly well,” he says.
“So we should, I firmly believe, be trusted more than some other people, because we’ve been living in these bodies and we’ve been hyper-aware of them for so long. And the lack of trust is quite palpable.”
Wentworth says he has complained to his local Patient Advice and Liaison Service (PALS) on several occasions. It aims to resolve difficulties or frustrations patients might face, but he says he has had mixed results.
With his new version of The Secret Garden, Wentworth is trying to inform young people about recognising when they might be being gaslit and how to advocate for themselves.
Healthwatch England describes itself as “your health and social care champion”, and works with the NHS to improve upon bad patient experiences.
William Pett, its interim director of policy, says what Etchells and Wentworth experienced can “unfortunately” happen all too often and it’s “common for conditions such as ADHD and endometriosis”.
Pett says the organisation hears most often from young people, women and those identifying as LGBTQ, who report being “less likely to feel listened to by healthcare professionals than others”.
Healthwatch England has called for reforms to the NHS complaints system so that patients can get quicker, more satisfactory responses with any concerns they raise, while the NHS has recently rolled out Martha’s Law, which allows patients and their families or carers to request a rapid review if their condition is deteriorating.
A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “Our renewed Women’s Health Strategy recognises medical gaslighting as a real barrier, particularly for those living with conditions like endometriosis, and our recently published Quality Strategy sets clear standards to ensure everyone – including disabled people – receives the high-quality, respectful care they deserve.
“Every patient deserves to be heard, believed, and treated with dignity, which is why our 10-year Health Plan sets out how we are putting patient voice at the heart of our NHS reforms.”
While Etchells wishes she was listened to on that first GP visit aged 13, she now feels “lucky” to be under a dedicated endometriosis team who do listen.
When it comes to the neuropathic pain in her legs, a result of the ligament damage, she says that on days where she can’t take strong pain medication due to work commitments, she has learned to pretend the pain is not there.
Ironically, she says: “I medically gaslight myself to get through the day.”
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has doubled down on threats United States President Donald Trump made against states that defy his demands for election reform.
Mullin’s latest speech on Friday largely reiterated what Trump said the night before: that the administration would pursue a hardline agenda to reshape US elections.
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Borrowing a term from Trump’s foreign policy platform, Mullin pledged to pursue a campaign of “maximum pressure” to ensure compliance.
He also hinted at repercussions for those Trump accused of misleading the US public during the 2020 election, which Trump falsely claims he won.
“This isn’t about rehashing the 2020 election. This is just exposing what took place and to make sure it never happens again,” Mullin said.
He added that his department is looking at individuals within the intelligence community and the administration of former President Joe Biden as possible targets.
“Everybody that purposely misled the American people, abused their power and their authority and decided not to continue doing their job will be held accountable,” Mullin explained.
President Donald Trump addresses election security on July 16 [Saul Loeb/Getty Images, AFP, pool]
Intensifying pressure on states
But while Trump repeatedly alleged a “deep state” cover-up about election vulnerabilities in Thursday’s primetime speech, the declassified documents his White House released failed to substantiate his sweeping claims.
Like Trump before him, Mullin zeroed in on four states as the target for the administration’s immediate efforts: California, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Nevada.
All four are considered either critical swing states or left-wing strongholds. They are also fairly populous states, each endowed with an above-average number of votes in the Electoral College, the system that decides US presidential elections.
Those four states combined have 250,000 non-citizens on their voting rolls, according to Mullin, who offered no basis for the statistic.
Mullin also reiterated Trump’s claim that the government had uncovered nearly 278,000 foreign nationals in total who are registered to vote.
There is no indication of how the Trump administration arrived at that figure, and experts warn that just because someone registered does not mean they were actually able to successfully cast a ballot.
Funds to be withheld
States screen voters for eligibility requirements like citizenship, and instances of non-citizen voting are exceedingly rare.
An analysis from the Brennan Center for Justice, for instance, studied 42 jurisdictions in the 2016 elections, when Trump made his first successful bid for public office. It found that non-citizen voting accounted for .0001 percent of the ballots.
Trump has a long history of election denial. Even in 2016, Trump won the Electoral College system but lost the popular vote — a fact that he tried to explain away by falsely claiming millions of people “voted illegally”.
Election experts have widely dismissed claims that non-citizen voting is a threat to the outcome of the US elections.
Still, Mullin threatened to withhold federal funds from states that fail to comply with Trump’s demands about election security.
“We are going to make our security enhancements mandatory, meaning that if these states want a grant and they want to be reimbursed to work or to run federal elections, they’re going to have to implement security issues,” Mullin said.
“Just security issues. We’re not trying to get into anything else, but we’re saying that the machines have to be secured and that your voter registration list needs to be scrubbed.”
Raising doubts about electronic voting
Trump has long voiced unsubstantiated concerns about the security of electronic voting, pushing instead for a return to paper ballots. He has also called for restrictions on mail-in ballots, though he himself has used such methods to vote.
His administration has also repeatedly pressured states to turn over their voter rolls to the federal government. Several federal courts, however, have blocked Trump’s efforts to create a federal voter database.
Furthermore, the tool the Trump administration plans to use to consolidate voter information, the Systematic Alien Verification for Entitlements (SAVE) database, has been criticised for erroneously flagging foreign-born citizens as non-citizens.
Still, earlier this month, the Trump administration sent letters to election officials across the country, threatening prosecution if non-citizen voters are found in their states.
Critics have accused Trump of seeking to nationalise election administration, though the US Constitution grants the power to organise elections to the states alone.
Already, leaders in some states have responded to Mullin’s remarks with hints of further legal action.
“California has free, fair, and secure elections and we will fight for them,” California Governor Gavin Newsom wrote on his social media feed, linking to a video of Mullin on Friday. “Try us.”
A clash with TV networks
Mullin, meanwhile, also took aim at the major television networks that did not broadcast Trump’s primetime speech live on Thursday.
The White House had requested airtime for the address, whose contents were shrouded in mystery beforehand.
But critics urged networks not to give Trump a platform to make baseless election claims that could undermine confidence in the upcoming 2026 midterm vote.
Ultimately, companies like ABC, NBC and CNN did not air the half-hour speech in full on their main channels, while others like Fox News did — but with caveats.
Trump used his primetime slot to denounce the channels that opted out.
“They and others in the media are part of a plot. They want to continue this fraud for whatever reason. They want to keep it going,” Trump said.
“You can’t have a great country without free and fair elections. Fraud like this should mean a revocation of their licences.”
Mullins echoed that assessment when asked about Trump’s threat, calling the networks “shameful” and implying they were part of a broad cover-up.
“What are they trying to cover up? Why wouldn’t they want to inform the American people? Why are they calling themselves a news outlet if they’re not actually trying to get the news out there?” Mullins asked.
Thursday’s speech was not the first time the Trump administration has threatened to revoke broadcast licences from channels he disagrees with. It did so last September, for instance, amid a feud with late-night comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
In light of Trump’s latest remarks, the sole Democratic commissioner on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Anna Gomez, took to social media to reject the threat as unconstitutional.
“The FCC has no authority to punish a station for refusing to air a blatantly political speech. This is a naked attempt to bully broadcasters, and the FCC should have no part in it,” Gomez wrote.
“It is ridiculous to call for broadcasters to lose their license simply for making the same editorial decisions they’ve made under presidents of both parties, especially when the remarks were still available to anyone who wanted to watch them online.”
The First Amendment of the US Constitution offers broad protections for free speech and the news media.
Some residents in northern Ontario were forced to evacuate due to the ongoing fires. One First Nations chief reported her community was “burnt to ashes”.
Fires are also burning on the country’s west coast, where more than 59 active fires in British Columbia were reported on Friday. The British Columbia Wildfire Service said that 39 of those fires started in the last 24 hours and more than half (31 fires) are out of control, prompting firefighters to use more aggressive means to control them.
A large cluster of fires affecting northwestern areas of Ontario are responsible for sending thick plumes of smoke and poor air quality across the region and into the US.
On Thursday, thick haze of smoke blocked views across New York City, including the Empire State Building and the Statue of Liberty. Likewise, national monuments across Washington DC were obstructed by the hazy conditions.
Officials have stressed for people to stay indoors, some areas even passing out free masks, due to the poor health impacts of inhaling the fumes.
It’s led to outdoor activities being cancelled across the northern parts of the US, from Chicago and Detroit to parts of Pennsylvania and New England. Summertime camps were brought indoors, concerts were rescheduled – and at least one beach was shuttered along a popular lake.
Poor air quality also affected air travel in some areas where low-visibility conditions at airports caused flight delays.
The inclement weather has also sparked concerns around Sunday’s World Cup final between Argentina and Spain at MetLife Stadium – an open-air venue – in New Jersey, where Trump is due to attend.
White House officials – including Andrew Giuliani, the head of the White House’s World Cup task force – is holding informal meetings with Fifa officials and others monitoring the wildfires, but no larger, formal meeting has so far been planned.
Forecasters believe that rains in the area over the weekend will improve conditions before the two teams take the pitch at 1500e (2000 BST).
In addition to the hazardous smoke extending across to the US, wildfires in northern Ontario have forced dozens from local First Nations communities to evacuate, with videos showing some fleeing the remote area by boat.
Members of the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation in the northern part of the province say they are “distraught” after fires tore through the community with very little warning.
Matthew Hoppe, incident commander for the Namaygoosisagagun First Nation, told the BBC that his community was devastated by the wildfires in northern Ontario.
Community members had to “self-evacuate” via small boats on Monday afternoon with the fire rapidly approaching, Hoppe said, adding that there were no deaths or direct injuries, he says, but the community has been “completely levelled”.
Namaygoosisagagun First Nation Chief Helen Paavola told local news outlet CityNews in an interview that an aerial flyover showed that her community has been “burnt to ashes”.
Ford said a total of 10 communities have had to evacuate, with many now seeking refuge in southern Ontario cities.
“It’s a miracle that no one lost their lives,” the premier said.
With additional reporting by Katie Williams and Nardine Saad
Taylor Farms on Friday said it is “voluntarily removing” iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico after it was linked to one of the largest outbreaks of cyclosporiasis in the U.S. in recent years.
“While the FDA traceback is indicating a specific independent farm, which represents less than 1% of the U.S.’s iceberg lettuce supply, as the potential source of the outbreak, we have removed all iceberg lettuce from the region indefinitely,” the company said in a statement.
Taylor Farms said none of its branded salads or kits contain iceberg lettuce or are associated with this outbreak.
On Thursday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention identified lettuce supplied to select Taco Bell restaurants as a source of the multistate outbreak, more than a month after cases first began to appear.
A source familiar with the investigation told CBS News on Thursday that the supplier was Salinas, California-based Taylor Farms. The iceberg lettuce was distributed to Taco Bell restaurants in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, Ohio and West Virginia, according to the CDC.
The Department of Health and Human Services said the investigation is continuing.
“The investigation remains active, and additional states, restaurants, retailers, or products may be identified as more information becomes available,” said Emily Hilliard, a spokesperson for HHS.
Taco bell removes lettuce
Taco Bell told CBS News in a statement Friday afternoon that it had already removed the potentially contaminated lettuce it received from Taylor Farms from restaurants in select states “out of an abundance of caution.”
“While no official advisory has been issued, we believe public health is a shared responsibility among restaurants, their suppliers, and authorities, and we are proud to have consistently acted quickly and proactively to protect our guests,” a spokesperson for Taco Bell Corp. said. “Taco Bell has taken precautionary action, and we encourage all relevant restaurants, retailers, and foodservice operators to do the same.”
Data shows that sales at the fast food chain have taken a hit amid the outbreak. According to Consumer Edge, which compiles spending data based on credit and debit transactions, year-over-year sales growth at Taco Bell was 4.2% in the week ending July 11, the slowest rate since April.
“Our data still shows positive year-over-year sales growth for Taco Bell, but that growth has slowed very recently,” Michael Gunther, senior vice president of research and market intelligence at Consumer Edge, told CBS News in an email.
Concerns about the outbreak could be the cause of the slower growth, he added.
The outbreak could also be dampening foot traffic at Taco Bell and other fast-food chains with lettuce-heavy menus, separate data from software company Placer.ai shows.
“While we only have a few days of data to work with, cyclospora headlines and product removals at some QSR [quick service restaurant] chains appear to be weighing modestly on visitation,” the analytical team for Placerai said in an email.
Scope of the outbreak
The outbreak, first reported in May, has spread to 34 states, sickening at least 1,644 people, according to the CDC. However, the CDC’s tally lags behind state health departments, which have reported much larger numbers of cases. For instance, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services reported more than 5,000 confirmed cases as of Friday.
No deaths have been reported.
“As a family-owned company, we are deeply concerned for those who became ill, their families, and the Americans whose trust in the safety of fresh produce has been shaken,” Taylor Farms said in its statement Friday.
“We are committed to doing everything in our power to address this issue, support the ongoing investigation, and help restore trust,” the company added.
What is cyclosporiasis?
The food- and water-borne illness cyclosporiasis is caused by the cyclospora parasite, which causes long-lasting, watery and sometimes explosive diarrhea, according to public health experts.
Outbreaks typically occur in the late spring and summer, and have historically been linked to bagged salads, cilantro, basil, raspberries, snow peas and green onions.
Editor’s note: This story has been updated to clarify that the investigation is continuing and other sources could still be identified.
The German was criticised for his substitutions as England squandered a 1-0 lead late on, but says he intends to stay to lead the Three Lions into Euro 2028.
Despite backing Tuchel to remain as England head coach after the World Cup heartbreak, ex-England captain Rooney thinks the FA should “go and get” former Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola if he is available.
“I don’t see anyone else out there at the minute, unless you go and get Pep Guardiola. If Pep is available, then maybe you go and get him,” Rooney said on The Wayne Rooney Show.
“I think he is a top-class manager and what the top managers do, they learn from the mistakes and they improve and get better.
“If we sack him, what managers are we going to bring in? And I don’t think there’s anyone out there who’s as good as Thomas Tuchel, unless Guardiola.
“But the big thing for me is he’s not experienced at World Cups. We had the exact same with [Fabio] Capello.
“The World Cup is different and you need to feel that environment and now he’s felt it.”
Tuchel signed a two-year contract extension in February, having been appointed in January 2025 on an 18-month mission to win the World Cup.
Rooney shared his views on the decision to give Tuchel a new contract: “I think the FA told us that Thomas Tuchel was coming in to win the World Cup and take us to the next level.
“It’s a little bit strange if its priority was to win the World Cup, but then you get a two-year contract before you actually go to the World Cup. That’s a bit strange.”
Anyone living in the northeastern portion of the United States has no doubt witnessed the borderline apocalyptic scene unfolding in the sky.
The smoke from the wildfires that are currently ravaging Canada has made its way south of the border to many American cities, affecting the air quality and causing health problems for citizens in the process.
Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds the Manhattan skyline in Brooklyn, New York, on Thursday, July 16, 2026.(Victor J. Blue/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
The question on everyone’s mind, though, is whether or not the FIFA World Cup final will even be played in the shadow of the Canadian wildfire smoke.
With the championship game taking place in East Rutherford, New Jersey, it would mean the players and fans would be in the direct path of the smoke.
FOX Weather anchor Bob Van Dillen broke down what effect the smoke would potentially have on the game as well as how we got here.
“We had all these fires bust out in Canada on Monday afternoon and that smoke instantly got lifted into the atmosphere,” Van Dillen explained. “Winds were out of the northwest and it dragged it right through the Great Lakes, and now it’s setting up shop across the Mid Atlantic, New York City… and it has been a nuisance if not hazardous for the last few days.”
The New York/New Jersey Stadium is pictured in East Rutherford, N.J., two days before the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina on July 17, 2026.(Odd Andersen/AFP via Getty Images)
Speaking of the hazards that the smoke represents, Van Dillen broke it down in terms of Air Quality Index, or AQI.
As he explains, 0-100 represents normal, healthy conditions, while anything above 101 is potentially hazardous and gets more dangerous as the number increases.
“Once you get to about 150 with that AQI, everybody starts to feel it and you have to start taking this thing a little bit slow when you get outside,” Van Dillen said. “Yesterday, for instance, East Rutherford on Thursday, topped out at 245… That’s when you’re not supposed to be out.”
That’s a staggering number, though not even close to the ceiling when you consider places like Detroit experienced their worst AQI numbers since weather services started tracking air quality back in 2000.
The Motor City peaked with an AQI of over 600 on Thursday.
Van Dillen put things into context when he explained what the conditions would look like for the players on the field being subjected to the smoke.
“If they had played it yesterday, it would be the equivalent of playing that game back and forth, 90 minutes, smoking two cigarettes.”
While Van Dillen’s assessment is spot on, he may have even been underselling things with regard to the length of the game.
In the past 20 years, four of the last five World Cup finals have gone to extra time or penalties, meaning this Sunday’s final has a good chance of being 30 minutes longer than usual.
Spain trained at the Gotham Training Facility in East Hanover, New Jersey, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina on July 16, 2026. Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro did light individual stretching during the open portion of training instead of the team’s passing drills. Hazy skies from Canadian wildfires reduced air quality and visibility across the New York metropolitan area. Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images(Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
When it comes to the game that is supposed to be played in northern New Jersey on Sunday, Van Dillen gave an optimistic outlook.
“If the game was going to be played on Thursday… I would say probably don’t play it,” Van Dillen said. “But, on Saturday, we’ve got a cold front eventually that’s going to swing through, and by the evening hours of Saturday, that’s going to push the biggest plume of smoke offshore.”
Van Dillen explained that Sunday may look a little hazy, but nothing compared to what New Yorkers and New Jerseyans have been experiencing this week.
“I think we’ve got a nice little window for your Sunday afternoon,” Van Dillen opined. “I think it’s going to be okay, the AQI is forecasted to be 75, so that is still in a good range.”
Fox News and Outkick reached out to FIFA to inquire if they had contingency plans in place should the conditions dictate a postponement, but no response has been given.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino and the White House have been in talks about Sunday’s World Cup final in New Jersey as the tri-state area continues to deal with poor air quality caused by wildfires raging in Canada, sources confirmed to Fox News Digital on Friday.
The discussions were characterized as informal as they continue to monitor the wildfire situation. The sources added that there were no contingency plans in place to make any changes to the game because of the weather.
Spain’s national team trains at the Gotham Training Facility in East Hanover, New Jersey, on July 16, 2026, ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Argentina. Lamine Yamal and Pedro Porro took part in light individual stretching during the open portion of training instead of the team’s passing drills. Spain trained under hazy skies as smoke from ongoing Canadian wildfires reduced air quality and visibility across the New York metropolitan area ahead of Sunday’s final at New York New Jersey Stadium. Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images(Lokman Vural Elibol/Anadolu via Getty Images)
It’s also worth noting that the Spanish national team has been practicing in northern New Jersey this week leading up to the game, while the Argentine side stayed in Atlanta.
Whether that is advantageous for either team remains to be seen, but hopefully neither the players nor the fans have to find out.
Dangerous smoke from hundreds of Canadian wildfires has seeped down to the U.S., impacting over 100 million Americans across more than a dozen states.
Air quality alerts on Friday stretch from the Midwest to the Great Lakes to the Northeast to the Mid-Atlantic, impacting major cities including Chicago, Detroit, Washington, D.C., and Philadelphia.
Wildfire smoke from Canada shrouds the sun as it rises behind the Chrysler Building in New York City, July 17, 2026.
Gary Hershorn/ABC News
Wildfire smoke from Canada shrouds the sun as it rises behind the Empire State Building in New York City, and geese in a park in Hoboken, New Jersey, July 17, 2026.
Gary Hershorn/ABC News
Canada has nearly 900 wildfires burning, with over 100 categorized as out of control. Almost 200 of the fires are in Ontario.
Heavy rain by the Minnesota/Canada border on Friday may help with some fires, but the storms could also bring strong winds and lightning, which can spark new fires and create more erratic fire activity.
Passing showers and thunderstorms are also possible in Ontario Friday, but that rain won’t be enough to put the wildfires out, and the winds may make conditions worse and lightning could spark new wildfires. There are more chances for rain over Ontario on Saturday and again on Tuesday.
In the U.S., the smoke Friday spans from Duluth, Minnesota, to Richmond, Virginia, impacting states including Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware.
A person crosses the street as smoke from Canadian wildfires blankets Washington, July 17, 2026.
Kylie Cooper/Reuters
Philadelphia issued a “Code Purple Air Quality Emergency Day” Friday.
“Everyone may experience negative health effects from particulate matter in the air,” Philadelphia officials warned. “Members of sensitive groups may experience more serious health effects.”
The skyline of Philadelphia is shrouded by smoke from wildfires in Canada, July 17, 2026.
WPVI
The worst air quality Friday afternoon is in northern Minnesota and Wisconsin.
In Milwaukee, where the air is in the hazardous category, the Milwaukee Brewers are allowing ticket holders to exchange tickets for Friday night’s game for another regular season home game.
The air is expected to improve on Saturday in the Ohio Valley, Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic, when rain moves in. But parts of the Midwest and Great Lakes will continue to see dangerous air quality.
The sun is obscured by wildfire smoke as people run in front of the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool, July 17, 2026, on the National Mall in Washington.
Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo
Smoke is probable over New York City on Sunday when Spain plays Argentina in the FIFA World Cup Final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, though it is still too early to know exactly where the smoke will be. Sources familiar with the situation told ABC News that “all involved authorities are monitoring.”
Wildfire smoke from Canada shrouds the sun as it rises behind the skyline of midtown Manhattan and, the Chrysler Building and the Empire State Building in New York City, July 17, 2026.
Gary Hershorn/ABC News
Smoke from wildfires in Canada shrouds midtown Manhattan and the Chrysler Building as a man looks out from the 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building, July 16, 2026, in New York City.
Gary Hershorn/ABC News
Smoke contains fine particles that can travel deep into the lungs. For those who need to work outdoors, are more sensitive to smoke or are in a high-risk group, Kai Chen, an associate professor of epidemiology at Yale School of Public Health, told ABC News that the best type of mask to wear is an N95, which is designed to filter at least 95% of airborne particles.
Haze from Canadian wildfires blankets the National Mall in Washington, July 17, 2026.
A tense moment at Cedar Point Amusement Park left riders stranded vertically on the Siren’s Curse roller coaster just before a major drop. The incident occurred twice over the weekend, but all riders were safely evacuated and no injuries were reported.
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Florida officials recently revealed that a Disney World guest died after experiencing a cardiac emergency on a fan-favorite ride.
The visitor, a 54-year-old man, suffered a heart-related emergency on the “It’s a Small World” ride in the Fantasyland section of Disney World’s Magic Kingdom on April 2, according to the state’s latest quarterly report on theme park injuries and illnesses.
The man was taken to a hospital where he later died, FOX 35 Orlando reported.
The guest, who has not been identified, had a pre-existing condition, the report said.
The iconic ride opened at Magic Kingdom in 1971 and has enjoyed “immense popularity” since, according to Disney World’s website. Fox News Digital reached out to Walt Disney World Resort for comment.
Florida officials reported that a Disney World guest died after experiencing a cardiac emergency while riding “It’s a Small World” at Magic Kingdom. The man had a pre-existing heart condition. (Dewayne Bevil/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
The park describes the ride as a “whimsical boat ride past a jubilant chorus of children from around the globe.”
“Cruise along the Seven Seaways Waterway on a gentle 10-minute journey through all 7 continents,” the site says.
The iconic “It’s a Small World” attraction has welcomed guests at Magic Kingdom since the park opened in 1971.(Dewayne Bevil/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
It said a 75-year-old woman hit her head while leaving Space Mountain in May, while another woman hit her head on the Snow Stormers water slide in April.
In addition, a 44-year-old man suffered back pain while riding Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in May, FOX 35 reported.
The state report identified the Disney World case as one of several medical incidents during the reporting period.(Gary Hershorn/Getty Images)
After riding “Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind” the same month, a 74-year-old man with a pre-existing condition reportedly experienced nausea and vomiting, the report added.
