What a score!
Mayor Adams joined with New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy early Monday to tout the huge economic benefits expected from hosting the next Soccer World Cup final at MetLife Stadium.
“This is a huge win for all New Yorkers,” Adams said of the big win on Fox 5 New York Monday morning.
“We knew we had the best product,” the mayor said of Sunday’s surprise announcement after the massive event was expected to take place in Texas.
“Nobody puts on a show like New York vs. New Jersey.”
The stadium is located across the Hudson River in the Garden State, where the 2026 tournament is expected to generate more than $2 billion in revenue for the region.
Around one million people are also expected to visit the region for the final and the first seven matches of the quadrennial tournament, which is expected to create at least 14,000 jobs. It is.
“Both sides of the Hudson River couldn’t be happier,” said Murphy, who calls himself a “lifelong soccer fan.”
The cost of preparing the metropolitan area to welcome guests from around the world will be split 50-50 between the city and the state of New Jersey, but “the good news is most of it will come from private funding,” Murphy said. insisted.
Adams noted that soccer is growing in popularity across the Big Apple due to an influx of immigrants from former Soviet bloc countries as well as South America and Africa.
“As the mayor of America’s most diverse city, I can’t wait to welcome the world to the 2026 World Cup,” he said in a statement. Video posted on social media After Sunday’s announcement.
“New York and New Jersey are poised to become the epicenter of North American soccer, and the history we will make in 2026 will create lifelong memories for our fans and provide new opportunities for our communities. “It will inject billions of dollars into our economy, help shape our region and move it forward for decades to come,” he said. stated in a statement.
Murphy called it “a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the entire region.”
“Holding the finals offers New York vs. New Jersey.” [with] “It is an unparalleled platform that brilliantly showcases the diversity, equity, access and inclusion that we stand for,” he said.
MetLife Stadium can seat 82,500 fans and has hosted numerous large-scale events since opening in 2010, including Super Bowl XLVIII.
Tickets for the World Cup final are not yet on sale.
