Gov. Murphy: Decision on FIFA final at MetLife Stadium coming in 'a matter of weeks'
Though the tournament isn’t for another two years, work to prepare for the FIFA World Cup at MetLife Stadium is already underway.
The East Rutherford venue will be the New Jersey/New York host location for a portion of the games in the 2026 tournament — but the specific matches to be contested are not yet known.
Murphy remains optimistic
Gov. Phil Murphy told NorthJersey.com and The Record on Tuesday that although he doesn’t know for certain, he thinks the decision on whether or not MetLife will host the finals is coming soon, as in “this is now a matter of weeks.”
“The World Cup is going to happen. The question is where’s the final and what does the schedule look like,” Murphy said. “I think our odds remain about where they've been. I would put it plus or minus 50/50.”
The governor noted that Dallas is also in the mix and while some reports have said that Los Angeles is no longer a contender, he isn’t sure that’s the case, noting that the city has hosted the finals in the past.
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A 'very good partnership' with NYC, Murphy says
New Jersey partnered with New York City in the 2026 hosting efforts, so Murphy’s team has been in communication with Mayor Eric Adams about the process. Murphy called it a “very good partnership.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino has seen the stadium in action. He attended the Jets game against the New England Patriots in September, and while it seems the Garden State’s only real competition for the final is Texas, there are 16 venues that will host soccer matches at the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Prep work for the biggest sporting event in the world will be the responsibility of the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority and its board of commissioners. The authority is responsible for operations at the MetLife Sports Complex, including the stadium that houses the Jets and Giants.
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Improvements for MetLife Stadium
In 2022, the authority received $30 million in taxpayer funds to plan designs and upgrades at MetLife Stadium and the surrounding property. That will include a contract worth nearly $16 million — $15,989,722 exactly — for expansion of the stadium.
In addition to the expansion work, that $30 million includes $5 million for the host committee in the form of a revolving loan and $669,497 that has been paid to the stadium for reimbursement of costs related to design and pre-construction work.
But getting the stadium — and the region, with $35 million being spent by NJ Transit for designs on transit systems to serve the venue — to meet the strict requirements set out by FIFA is not a quick task.
Stadiums selected for the World Cup could range from 40,000 seats for group and early-stage games of the tournament to an 80,000-seat minimum for the opening and final matches. The semifinal venue must have a capacity of 60,000, according to the 2026 bidding guide.
MetLife Stadium, which hosted the Copa America final in 2016, has a capacity of more than 82,000. The venue has never been the site of a World Cup game. Matches played in East Rutherford at previous World Cups were held at the venue's predecessor, Giants Stadium.
Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 2026 FIFA World Cup final: MetLife Stadium decision coming soon
