While state officials have begun preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup at MetLife Stadium, one New Jersey congressman thinks steps should be taken on the federal level as well.
Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-Bergen County, held an event in Hackensack Thursday to talk about the work he wants to do before eight matches — including the tournament’s final — arrive in East Rutherford.
He told those in attendance that he plans to introduce legislation to allocate $620 million for World Cup security to host cities and law enforcement as part of the upcoming Homeland Security appropriations package. The money would be used to increase policing, fire and medical services and other needed improvements.
There are 11 host cities for the tournament in the United States: Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Boston, East Rutherford, Philadelphia and Miami. There will also be matches in Vancouver, Toronto, Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara.
According to Gottheimer, undetectable firearms are a concern when tourists from around the world come to the region in 2026.
“Here’s the bottom line: the last thing that anyone should have to worry about when they head to a stadium with their family is whether they’ll be safe from gun violence,” Gottheimer said. “With my Common Sense Gun Safety Strategy, we can put a stop to undetectable guns and keep fans safe at stadiums across our state.”
He noted that there will be 78 matches throughout the country with millions of people in attendance and that by securing this money on a federal level, it won’t “pass these costs onto local and state budgets.”
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The host city obligations are the responsibility of both New Jersey and the state’s partner, New York City, and officials have previously said costs would be split with New York City. There is still no formal agreement in place and no official estimate as to what bringing the tournament to the state will cost.
The state provided $37.5 million to the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority — the agency responsible for the Meadowlands — in fiscal years 2023 and 2024. Some of that has already been spent to ensure that the field within the stadium is modified to meet FIFA’s requirements.
Another $7.5 million has been given to the host committee as a revolving loan for operational expenses. This is expected to be repaid through fundraising efforts by the end of 2026.
And $15 million was sent to the authority from the American Rescue Plan funding the state received in fiscal year 2022.
In the governor’s proposed budget for 2025, there is $25 million for the authority’s international events program — $17.5 million more than the previous year.
The state has also paid $35 million for NJ Transit to develop designs for expanding its transit system to serve the venue.
Phase one of the work to expand the playing surface at the stadium was completed this spring and phase two will take place next year. That includes removing seats and replacing them with retractable ones so that the field space is there for the tournament without impacting the seating for Jets and Giants games next season.
While MetLife has artificial turf, FIFA requires a grass playing surface, so grass is being grown in Hammonton that will be installed for 2026. It will need an irrigation system and that work is being paid for by the sports authority.
Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com
