EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ — The beautiful game's largest tournament will come to New Jersey. FIFA confirmed Thursday that MetLife Stadium will serve as a venue for the 2026 World Cup, which the United States, Canada and Mexico will jointly host.
When announcements of host venues began Thursday evening, Gov. Phil Murphy announced that FIFA accepted the New York/New Jersey bid to host matches. FIFA made it official minutes later.
"We are honored to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup with our neighbors across the Hudson, and we are fully prepared to deliver the world-class experience that the beautiful game deserves," Murphy said. "Future generations of New Jerseyans will remember fondly that, on the heels of a global pandemic, the biggest sporting event in the world was hosted by the greatest region in the world."
In addition to matches played, New Jersey and New York will host FIFA fan sites around the region. Proposed local training facilities include Rutgers University, The Pingry School, Kean University, Red Bull Football Club Training Facility and the New York City Football Club Training Facility.
Seventeen stadiums in 16 areas remained in contention as U.S. sites for the 2026 World Cup. But FIFA entered Thursday with plans to dwindle the list down to 10-12 sites that would host matches, along with sites in Canada and Mexico.
The New York/New Jersey bid for MetLife Stadium as a host venue entered Thursday as a near lock to host matches, according to NBC Sports. Other contending U.S. cities included Atlanta, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC/Baltimore.
In 2018, FIFA selected the United States, Canada and Mexico as joint hosts for the 2026 tournament — the first World Cup to feature 48 teams. The United States will host 60 games, including all from the quarterfinals on. Canada and Mexico will host 10 games each. FIFA has considered MetLife Stadium as a potential venue for the 2026 World Cup for four years, with New York and New Jersey submitting the stadium in a joint bid for hosting matches.
The United States has only hosted one prior men's World Cup: the 1994 tournament. Giants Stadium hosted seven games, including a semifinal.
Giants Stadium was also a venue in the 1999 Women's World Cup. The U.S.-Denmark match drew a crowd of 78,972, setting a new record for attendance at a women's sporting event. But New Jersey's record fell quickly, as the final between China and the United States drew 90,185 spectators at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
While Gov. Phil Murphy and other supporters have touted a potential. $500 million windfall for New York and New Jersey, economists have been skeptical of how much World Cup matches will economically benefit the Garden State. Plans from state officials suggest most World Cup tourists will stay in New York, according to northjersey.com.
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