MetLife Stadium Wins 2026 World Cup Final Bid, New Jersey Puts Up $67.5M for Setup
After beating out Arlington, Texas in their pitch to FIFA, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford won the right to host the 2026 World Cup final. Eight games will be played at the huge 82,500-seat stadium, with the final match as the main event. FIFA will take over operations one month before the first game to handle tickets and run the matches. The stadium, now home to NFL’s Jets and Giants, will get updates to meet FIFA’s soccer standards.
State officials put up $67.5 million for needed preparations, including stadium upgrades and transportation improvements. The month-long tournament is expected to bring $2 billion to local businesses while creating 14,000 jobs in the area. Community projects will build 26 soccer fields and launch training programs to get more kids playing. The U.S. Soccer Foundation is supporting these efforts to grow the sport in underserved communities.
With 174,500 monthly searches from its 9.3 million residents, New Jersey leads the U.S. in soccer interest. The stadium’s easy train access to Manhattan makes it even more attractive. The successful bid was helped by strong backing from 18- to 34-year-olds, who make up 55% of American soccer fans.
A soccer clinic to promote the event is planned for summer 2024. Meanwhile, security teams have begun getting ready for the huge crowds expected during the tournament. “The smiles on the kids’ faces, whether they were just learning the game or if they had been playing it for 10 years, showed how excited they were about what’s to come,” says Lauren LaRusso, New York New Jersey 2026 World Cup host committee manager and general counsel, to New Jersey Monthly.
This World Cup features a first-ever three-country hosting setup. Games will be played across sixteen cities; eleven in the U.S., three in Mexico, and two in Canada. The tournament has a new format: 48 countries divided into twelve four-team groups. The top two teams from each group move on, along with eight best third-place teams in a 32-team knockout round.
More information about the World Cup and tickets is available at https://www.fifa.com/en/tickets.
