We’re about 600 days from the men’s World Cup soccer tournament returning to New Jersey – and organizers are hyping up the games as a massive opportunity throughout the Garden State.
“We want people to come here, and we want our own communities to have a good experience — by your downtown businesses, your hotels and the accommodations, getting on board with the theme of it all,” said Lauren LaRusso, co-host city manager for the New York/New Jersey coalition.
The State League of Municipalities Conference this week hosted a panel discussion on the opportunities – and challenges – of New Jersey and Philadelphia hosting the World Cup matches in 2026. MetLife Stadium, or New York/New Jersey Stadium, as it will be known for the tournament, will host eight matches, including the final, and Philadelphia will host six.
Organizers expect international tourists will generally stay for about three weeks when visiting a host nation, and they hope New Jersey will have activities to welcome them.
“What we want to encourage is people to stay longer,” said Jeff Vasser, executive director of the New Jersey Division of Travel and Tourism. “And the way we get people to stay longer is to make sure that they know that there are so many other things that they can do outside of watching a match.”
Leaders said actually half of the arriving tourists are not expected to attend games in person, increasing the need for fan fests and other watch parties statewide.
Ted Goldberg is a correspondent for NJ Spotlight News with nearly a decade of experience telling stories about a wide variety of topics.
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