The announcement last month that MetLife Stadium and the New Jersey-New York region will host the World Cup final in 2026 brought jubilation. Now, the effort to secure eight World Cup matches in June 2026 and the prestigious final game on July 19, 2026 has moved to preparing for the huge event.
Representatives of the host committee, NJ Transit, state tourism and business community are working to create a seamless experience for 1 million fans expected to visit the New York-New Jersey region.
That work includes construction of seven buildings around the 82,500-seat MetLife Stadium, widening the soccer pitch to meet FIFA standards, creation of a new state tourism campaign and ensuring NJ Transit and the rest of the state transportation system is up to moving fans as well as daily users.
Officials doing that work discussed how the region is preparing for the international Mega event, during a Friday afternoon discussion held by the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce.
The numbers are staggering. The eight World Cup matches and finals to be played here during June and July are forecast to generate $2 billion in economic impact, more than 14,000 jobs and attract more than 1 million visitors, including fans and their guests, said Bruce Revman, host committee city manager for New York. South Jersey also could see a similar benefit from World Cup matches that will be played in Philadelphia.
The World Cup isn’t just about the eight games, but all the events and fan festivals leading up to it. Think Super Bowl XLVIII, but bigger. It also happens during the celebration of the U.S. Semiquincentennial or 250th anniversary on July 4, 2026.
Gov. Phil Murphy laid the challenge down in a post-announcement interview.
“The huge story, if we do it right and I think we will, will be the build-up to the game (of soccer) and the legacy that will be measured in decades that this event will leave behind,” Murphy said.
That isn’t lost on business leaders and business owners in the towns around the stadium, as well as the host committee state tourism people and NJ Transit CEO Kevin Corbett.
Construction to meet FIFA requirements at MetLife
Work is underway to widen the soccer pitch to meet FIFA standards that call for a 68-meter wide by 110 meter long playing field, said Stephen Sansonese, MetLife Stadium senior director of facility operations and events.
That work also required designing rows of removable seating that can restored for other sports and events, Sanonese said.
Other alterations include working with FIFA to move the existing stadium perimeter and security screening to create room for fan experiences, sponsors facilities and other needed structures, he said. That work will be done by local companies and union workers, Sansonese said.
New N.J. ‘wow’ tourism campaign
Accompanying the World Cup announcement is a new state tourism slogan and campaign, “Little state, lotta wow.” It’s based on people’s reactions when learning more about the state beyond the Jersey shore and World Cup selection, said Jeff Vasser, New Jersey Office of Travel and Tourism executive director.
“Everyone knows about the Jersey shore, but we’re the second fastest growing state for craft brewery,” Vasser said, rattling off other non-shore statistics. “We always heard, ‘Wow, I didn’t know that about New Jersey.’”
State tourism efforts want to make it easier for visitors and tour companies to plan an itinerary of places to see in the state when matches aren’t being played, he said. That includes working with Destination Marketing Organizations, such as the Meadowland Chamber and NYC & Co., he said.
“What a huge opportunity this state has for tourism. This is a great opportunity for all of us to show the world what New Jersey is and what a great place it is to visit , Vasser said. “It goes beyond just the time the World Cup is here.”
NJ Transit’s challenge
A lot depends on moving fans to and from what’s the equivalent of eight Super Bowl games at MetLife falls to NJ Transit. CEO Kevin Corbett highlighted the bounce back from 2014′s Super Bowl XLVIII embarrassment by the agency’s performance in moving thousands of fans to and from MetLife by rail; and bus for BTS K-Pop shows, the 2021 Army-Navy football game and most recently Taylor Swift’s three Eras Tour shows.
That helped sell FIFA on NJ Transit’s ability to handle mega events, Corbett said. NJ Transit is preparing for various contingencies, including bad weather that could send fans leaving early en masse, equipment breakdowns and timing the use of rain crews to make sure they don’t hit federal hours of service limits before the event ends.
“The reputation of NJ Transit will be made or thrown back in the mud if we don’t deliver,” he said to reporters after the event. “The next six months will be critical, after that it’s fleshing it out.”
The game days burden will be split between the existing Meadowlands rail line and the Transitway bus-rapid transit project under design. Transitway uses some existing infrastructure and a former rail right of way, taking buses out of traffic and away from other delay-causing incidents. It was selected for a faster delivery than a rail line that requires more environmental permits, he said.
Transitway construction is expected to start next year, and completed in spring 2026, Corbett said.
As soon as FIFA announced the site selection, NJ Transit officials conferred with the International Public Transport Association, he said. The US Department of Transportation has designated Felicia James Deputy Assistant Secretary for Transportation Policy as World Cup point person, Corbett said.
Meanwhile, plans call for using trains of multilevel cars that hold more people on the Meadowlands rail line with back up trains in position, in addition to buses, Corbett said.
Besides the eight matches at MetLife, the agency also has to plan to move people to and from various World Cup fan festivals, including those scheduled at Liberty State Park in Jersey City and other locations.
“We need to get more definition of the fan festivals, they are more of a concern,” Corbett said. “There is no way we’ll drop the ball on the stadium (service). The corridors to the fan festivals are more susceptible to local traffic.”
Our journalism needs your support. Please subscribe today to NJ.com.
Larry Higgs may be reached at lhiggs@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on X @CommutingLarry
