The biggest show in sports is coming to the world’s biggest stage.
But how did we get here?
How did MetLife Stadium host the most-watched event on the planet, the 2026 World Cup Finals?
“There’s no better place to host the world’s biggest game than on the world’s biggest stage,” said New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
After City and State got into the ring, they did something unusual. They put aside political disputes and cooperated. And the NYNJ World Cup Organizing Committee led that cooperation to victory.
“It was definitely a long process, but FIFA wanted to consider all aspects and get the final decision right, which is what we ultimately did,” said Lauren LaRusso, co-host city manager of the organizing committee. told the Post.
“We never took for granted that others knew how great our region is, so we relentlessly told our story and the FIFA process. We also modeled how our collaboration with FIFA could work seamlessly in the future by bringing together good partners on both sides of the river and working together in lockstep every step of the way. Did.”
The relationship began the moment MetLife was selected as the host city, but the real groundwork began in earnest this summer.
Unlike United’s bid in 2018, which hosted the World Cup in the US, Mexico and Canada, there was no bid book. This was done verbally and privately, primarily with FIFA President Gianni Infantino and his team.
“It was a pleasant surprise. We felt like we only had a 50-50 chance of winning in the finals,” Meadowlands Regional Chamber of Commerce President James Kirkos told the Post. “What worked for us was we presented a unified body language, meaning the mayor’s office in the city and the governor’s office in Jersey have had to work together many times in the past. , there were tensions between politics in New York and New Jersey. I wasn’t nervous.
“The fact that we are the most welcoming and diverse region was also important to FIFA, as FIFA has a big element of embracing diversity in its ethos and we fit well into that. And because we’ve hosted large-scale events so many times, we’ve experienced the complexities of security and transportation. …So we end up checking a few more boxes than Dallas. ”
It also includes practical support from Adams State and New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy.
“As a champion of the region and a lifelong soccer fan, I am thrilled that FIFA has chosen to place its trust in New York, New Jersey,” Murphy said.
“Governor. Murphy was great. He and his team were giving it their all. If the host committee needed the Governor to attend the dinner, it would be for the following reasons: [Infantino] was scheduled to attend, but the governor changed his plans and attended the dinner,” Kirkos told the Post. “And Mayor Adams’ office did something similar. So the cohesiveness of the state and the city coming together to win this was one of the things that overwhelmed Dallas.”
It took even longer to overwhelm Dallas, and before that Los Angeles.
It required entertainment, lodging, convenient time zones, diversity and a large law enforcement presence, sources told the Post, and FIFA was impressed.
And of course money is important too.
The Eastern time zone allows FIFA to kick off in a better time frame in major markets, five hours later than the UK and six hours later than Europe. Choosing New York by nine points over LA meant more broadcast revenue.
And while new, SoFi Stadium is small and needs expansion to meet FIFA standards. It is doable, but requires removing the sheet from the bottom bowl. FIFA requires a capacity of at least 80,000 people, but SoFi could only hold 70,000 people for the Super Bowl.
A bigger issue was FIFA’s disagreement with SoFi Stadium owner Stan Kroenke over revenue sharing. FIFA will receive revenue from tickets and sponsors, while local organizers will cover security and other costs. Negotiations about the LA finals ended as Kroenke demanded a big game and threatened to pull SoFi out if he didn’t get it.
And while even local organizers acknowledge the appeal of AT&T Stadium, with its air conditioning, retractable roof, futuristic amenities and 100,000 seats, they had an ace in the hole: New York City. was.
“NYNJ was proud to put our values at the core of our bid to host the finals,” Bruce Rebman, co-host city manager for the host committee, told the Post. “Given our values such as diversity, individuality and unity of purpose, the choice to stage the final here felt natural. We are delighted that FIFA has agreed.
“One of FIFA’s most important goals this World Cup is to grow the game of football, and where better to focus that effort than in the world’s most diverse region and media hub? Is there any place?”
Sure, Jerry’s World has the world’s largest TV screen, but New York is home to the biggest TV event.
Dallas is 32 miles from AT&T Stadium and has little public transportation. Meanwhile, New York touted Broadway, diversity, fan events in Central Park and expertise in tentpole events.
“It wasn’t just the stadium. The truth is, AT&T Stadium is a great facility. It’s newer than MetLife Stadium, so there may have been an advantage between the stadiums,” Kirkos told the Post. . “But when you put together all the things that are important to FIFA, such as the level of accommodation, proximity, etc., we were ahead by a huge amount of points on the scorecard.”
