May 21, 2024
By Kiara Rasmussen
Staff Writer
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is more than two years away, but the international soccer competition is already causing buzz among New Jersey residents.
Local businesses and fans are excited that the final match and seven additional 2026 World Cup games will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford from June 13-July 19.
According to FIFA’s website, the number of teams in the tournament–which will take place in Canada, Mexico and the United States–will increase from 32 to 48 in 2026, making it the largest World Cup in history.
Economics teacher and soccer fan Mr. Newman said employees at MetLife Stadium and local businesses hope to profit from tourism caused by the World Cup.
“Cities as well as their national governments see these events as an opportunity to be a world showcase,” Newman said. “However, countries such as Greece, Serbia and even the last World Cup [host], Qatar, [spent] a huge amount of national money on events that few actually benefit[ed] from.”
According to Business Review at Berkeley, the undergraduate business journal of the University of California, Berkeley, the 2022 World Cup provided little or no gain in Qatar’s economic growth and tourism, so its investment did not make much of a long-term contribution.
“We’re going to have a million people come into this area…. So economically, it helps hotels, Airbnbs, restaurants [and] stores.”
According to NorthJersey.com, NJ Transit officials were racing to approve a project for a new transit route from Secaucus to MetLife Stadium before the 2026 FIFA World Cup begins. On July 19, 2023, the board unanimously approved $35 million for the engineering company HNTB Corporation to fully design this new corridor.
Newman said based on his observations during Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, which was held at MetLife Stadium, local residents are unnecessarily concerned about road congestion.
“So many people were just saying ‘Traffic, traffic, traffic,’” Newman said. “However, MetLife Stadium is one of the best venues in the country that handles over 82,000 people coming and going from events on almost a weekly basis throughout the year.”
Junior Ariana Feliciano, who has worked at MetLife Stadium since August 2023, said she thinks the stadium will need more employees to oversee the event.
“There are already so many people working right now at MetLife, but I also know that some people are going to stop working there because it’s going to be too much for them,” Feliciano said.
She said the venue needs to create better parking options since people will arrive early to secure a spot. She also anticipates long lines and waits to use elevators, escalators and stairs.
“MetLife traffic is no joke,” Feliciano said. “When I worked the Guns N’ Roses concert, it took my mom 45 minutes to get me, and it was really stressful for the both of us.”
According to NorthJersey.com, the MetLife Sports Complex has more than 28,000 parking spaces. It also accommodates charter buses as well as taxi and limousine drop-offs and pick-ups.
Music teacher Mr. Cardone, who is a referee and lifelong soccer fan, said the 2026 World Cup will be great for New Jersey and Lyndhurst, which is located just four miles from the stadium.
“We’re going to have a million people come into this area,” Cardone said. “So economically, it helps hotels, Airbnbs, restaurants [and] stores.”
According to NorthJersey.com, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said the tournament, particularly the finals, is projected to generate about $2 billion for New Jersey and New York, but he was unsure how much the state will need to spend to prepare.
Cardone, who referees almost every week for several semi-pro leagues, said he is overwhelmed with excitement when he thinks about the upcoming World Cup.
“Any time a World Cup or big competition comes around, it’s… a learning experience for me because I’m trying [to] grow in the referee world,” Cardone said.
He said he is willing to pay up to $1,000 for a ticket to the final because he wants to watch the historic game in person.
“The final is going to be amazing,” Cardone said. “It’s such a unique once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that I can’t pass [up].”
