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New York and New Jersey Are Ready to Host the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final

eric adams and phil murphy
·5 min read

UPDATE: On Feb. 4, 2024, MetLife Stadium was chosen as the site of the final for the 2026 World Cup.

Today’s guest columnists are New York City Mayor Eric Adams and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy.

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On a sunny weekend afternoon earlier this year, the stands at Metlife Stadium were packed to capacity. Although it was only an exhibition game, 82,500 buzzing, passionate fans turned out to watch a showdown between two elite football clubs with massive followings in the New York New Jersey region.

Of course, the “football” we’re referring to here is soccer.

That July 22 match between Arsenal and Manchester United was the latest evidence of our region’s soccer fever. A week later, Brighton took on Newcastle in front of a similarly packed, sellout crowd in Harrison, N.J. For weeks, our bars and restaurants have been teeming—often at odd hours—with fans following the FIFA Women’s World Cup.

In three years, our region will play host to a FIFA World Cup of its own, as the men’s tournament comes to North America. Last year, we were honored to have been named one of the competition’s 16 host cities; we are gearing up to host at least eight matches in what will be the biggest sporting event in world history.

As we prepare, our eyes are on one match in particular: the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final. That’s a game that can, and should, only be played here.

From our vast infrastructure to our massive media market to our soccer-crazed culture, we are the most prepared to provide this game the stage it deserves. And American soccer fans agree—in a recent YouGov poll, fans named New York New Jersey as the region best equipped to handle the Final.

It’s not hard to see why fans feel this way; MetLife Stadium is one of the largest venues in American professional sports, boasting a capacity well north of 80,000. Our region’s three major international airports, hundreds of thousands of hotel rooms and massive public transportation network have no trouble accommodating even the largest of events.

And as FIFA World Cup soccer takes center stage during the summer of 2026, our region’s countless iconic tourist destinations will ensure our visitors have packed itineraries between matches. Our one-of-a-kind attractions are the reason that, in that same YouGov poll, more soccer fans expressed interest in visiting the New York New Jersey region than any other host city.

Big, global events are what we do best here in New York New Jersey—they’re in our DNA. Arsenal and Manchester United have not been alone in filling up MetLife stadium this summer; over the past several months, the venue has played host to over 60 events (including 18 concerts) as more than 3 million fans have passed through its gates. From Taylor Swift to Ed Sheeran to Beyoncé, each of these blockbuster shows has gone off successfully—with The Boss himself, Bruce Springsteen, still to come.

FIFA World Cup 2026 will be our biggest event yet—and the region’s government leaders are committed to ensuring the impact of the tournament is lasting. We’re working closely with the U.S. Soccer Foundation to ensure that the legacy of FIFA World Cup 2026 in our region endures far beyond the next few years and helps ensure access to soccer and its lifelong benefits for kids from all walks of life. We’re also coordinating closely with community groups and our fellow government leaders to ensure that tournament-related activities and economic opportunities are accessible and realized by all, particularly those in under-resourced communities.

As we welcome the world to New York New Jersey, we will proudly and unapologetically show off our distinct regional culture. We are the business and media capital of the globe; we are home to the United Nations. Our population hails from more than 138 countries and speaks over 200 languages. We are the world’s melting pot, and our fierce regional pride emerges because of—not in spite of—our remarkable heterogeneity.

These values—diversity, individuality, unity of purpose—are what the FIFA World Cup is all about. As FIFA’s leaders make their final determination of where to hold their signature event, we urge them to take note of not only what makes our region great, but what our region stands for. When it comes to values—even on hot-button political topics like immigration, public safety and reproductive freedom—we are confident that we’re on the right side of history.

We can also promise this: No matter which nations are playing, no matter the time of day, every single one of our FIFA World Cup 2026 matches will be sold out, and fan fests will be packed to capacity. That’s the beauty of a region as diverse as ours—both inside the stadium and out, we have a ready-made cheer squad for every country on earth.

Our soccer history is as rich as any region in North America. On Nov. 6, 1869, Princeton and Rutgers faced off in the first-ever American intercollegiate soccer match. In the 1870s, Scottish and Irish immigrants’ football fanaticism earned Kearny, N.J., the nickname “Soccertown, USA.” On Oct. 1, 1977, Pelé played his final match at a sold-out Giants Stadium.

On July 19, 2026, we are ready to write the next chapter. If we are granted the privilege to host the FIFA World Cup 2026 Final, we will make sure that the world’s biggest sporting event is given the setting it deserves.

Mayor Eric Adams has served the people of New York City as an NYPD officer, state senator, Brooklyn borough president, and now as the 110th mayor of the City of New York. Gov. Philip D. Murphy took the oath of office for a second term as New Jersey’s 56th governor on Jan. 18, 2022, becoming the first Democratic governor to serve a second term in 44 years.

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