The biggest sporting event on the planet is coming to MetLife Stadium in just 18 months, and since planning has been underway for years, 2025 marks what is essentially the home stretch of preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
That may seem like light at the end of the tunnel — especially with growing fan involvement in the new year — but it’s crunch time for those who have worked for nearly a decade to bring the tournament to fruition.
As far as the fun stuff is concerned, the New York/New Jersey Host Committee — the legal name for the group responsible for organizing the event at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford — confirmed that 2025 will see the announcement of what teams will be playing their group-round games here in New Jersey, as well as other opportunities for fans to start getting involved.
The host committee, led by co-hosts Lauren LaRusso and Bruce Revman, said there will be plenty of excitement on the road to 2026, with a lineup of events and experiences to let fans connect with the sport in 2025.
Later in 2025, there will be information available about how to sign up as a volunteer, and the committee will hold “vibrant soccer-themed celebrations, community programs and sponsor activations” to showcase the diversity and passion that make New York and New Jersey the perfect host for this global event.
Tickets will go on sale in the fall, and in December there will be a draw to find out which teams will be playing group-stage games in each of the host cities throughout North America, including the matches at MetLife.
But while the tournament is certainly among the biggest spectacles in sports, it’s not all fun and games for those bringing it to life.
Rigorous planning — and a lot of money — is needed to make sure the stadium meets the FIFA requirements and that fans from the world are safe while attending.
When it comes to security, Rep. Josh Gottheimer, D-Wyckoff, wants the federal government to foot the bill. His legislation would allocate $625 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 security measures.
Gottheimer said undetectable firearms are a concern when tourists from around the world come to the region in 2026.
“This is a national event in the United States, the FIFA World Cup, just like the Super Bowl is, and it should get that level attention and investment from the federal government,” he said. “We should protect not only New Jersey and New York but all of our guests and the players.”
The congressman said this should be designated a Tier 1 event, which “triggers certain reinforcement support and coordination.”
He noted that the breached barricades at the COPA America final in Miami earlier this year, which was “not a terror threat, just exuberant fans,” showed that special attention should be paid to making sure everyone is safe.
Gottheimer is running in the 2025 Democratic gubernatorial primary, and the World Cup will happen just six months into the first year of the next governor’s term, which is important for whoever takes office, because New Jersey partnered with New York City in a joint bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup in East Rutherford. The stadium will host eight matches, including the final, during a monthlong stretch in the summer of 2026.
The host city obligations are the responsibility of both New Jersey and New York City, and officials have previously said costs would be split with the city. There is still no formal agreement in place and no official estimate of what bringing the tournament to the state will cost.
“We have to make sure we don’t get hosed and that we fight for every nickel for security and transit for the region, for Jersey and for the region,” Gottheimer said. “And we have to be vigilant on every front to make sure New York pays what it should pay. They have a pattern these days of sticking it to us.”
More:NJSEA to spend $33M on pedestrian bridge at MetLife Stadium for 2026 FIFA World Cup
But New Jersey is on the hook for tens of millions of dollars already, and much of the work is still in progress.
There are a handful of projects at the sports complex that are expected to be done next year. Phase 2 of the work to expand the playing surface needs to be completed. That includes removing seats and replacing them with retractable ones so that the field space is there for the tournament without affecting the seating for Jets and Giants games next season.
The state spent $5,375,000 of the remaining American Rescue Plan funding through the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority to buy trucks and equipment needed to maintain the property in and around the stadium “in preparation for upcoming large-scale events, including FIFA World Cup 2026.”
The NJSEA also spent $10 million of ARP money and a $25 million grant through the state’s Transportation Department for planning and work on the second pedestrian bridge across Route 120 to connect the stadium to the American Dream retail and entertainment complex.
The bridge will be built “immediately to the north of the existing pedestrian bridge” crossing Route 120, to connect Meadowlands Parking Lot C and American Dream Parking Garage A, in an effort to increase access to the stadium because of concerns that the existing pedestrian bridge can’t meet the demand of pedestrians expected during the tournament in 2026.
The pedestrian bridge is not to be confused with the so-called “transitway” being installed to help move fans from the Secaucus Junction train station to MetLife Stadium. That is actually a new roadway — a dedicated route for buses that will shuttle fans.
The cost of the project has not been made public yet, but the contract includes terminal upgrades at the Secaucus transfer station to handle additional bus loads, construction of a bus terminal at MetLife Stadium “capable of handling the doubling of current rail ridership capacity” and adding roadway and signal priority in between.
NJ Transit has touted its success in recent years, noting that nearly 80,000 people used the service during three Taylor Swift concerts last year, but the nightmare situations after the 2014 Super Bowl and Wrestlemania in 2019 are still front of mind for many riders.
The current Meadowlands train line can carry about 10,000 people an hour, but NJ Transit needs the ability to move more than double that in an hour.
Another $13 million in state money is being used for additional design work, field construction and pitch maintenance equipment and services. Specifically, the NJSEA is buying two grass playing surfaces, one of which will be a backup, to meet the FIFA requirements.
That $13 million is part of the $30 million that was appropriated to the authority for “International Events, Improvements and Attraction” in the fiscal year 2025 budget.
The state provided $37.5 million to the authority in fiscal years 2023 and 2024. 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.
The state has also paid $35 million for NJ Transit to develop designs for expanding its transit system to serve the venue.
What to know:NJ is hosting another FIFA event: the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup
A true test for all those involved will come in July 2025 as the Club World Cup takes place at MetLife. That tournament features club teams — professional teams from leagues around the world — as opposed to national teams.
There will be nine matches, including two semifinals and the final, in East Rutherford. SE Palmeiras, FC Porto, Fluminense FC, Borussia Dortmund, Al Ahly FC and Ulsan HD will play their group-stage games at MetLife.
Then the knockout rounds begin, culminating in the final on July 13, 2025.
Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com
