It might still be a couple of years away, but the preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be well underway. The tournament will be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States in what will be the first expanded version of the tournament in its history. 48 teams will compete for the solid gold trophy, currently held by Argentina after they defeated France 4-2 on penalties in Qatar after the match finished 3-3. Whilst the U.S will host most of the matches, the New York New Jersey Stadium, better known as the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, has been chosen as the venue for the final.
On 19th July 2026, the home of the New York Giants and New York Jets will see a different-shaped ball fly around the spectacular arena. Although the NFL teams will be enjoying their off-season in July 2026, making their final preparations for the new season, sportsbooks will still be compiling their odds for the NFL Super Bowl LXI in anticipation of the new campaign. However, between 11th June and 19th July 2026, the focus will switch to scouring the favorites to lift the World Cup trophy in the New York New Jersey Stadium.
With the tournament taking place closer to home, the World Cup is the ideal way for NFL fans in particular to fill their summers. The FIFA World Cup final is the next in a long line of major events to be hosted in the New York New Jersey Stadium, which will be renamed just for this event. Here are a few other memories from New Jersey.
WrestleMania 29 & 35
WWE’s marquee event came to New Jersey not once, but twice, on 7th April 2013 and the same date in 2019. The 2013 event was the third most attended event in WWE history, but this figure of 80,676 was blown out the park in 2019 when 82,265 attended WrestleMania 35. And the packed-out stadium was not disappointed on a night where Seth Rollins defeated Brock Lesnar to claim the Universal Championship and history was made as for the first time ever, a women’s match was listed as the main event. In what was billed as a “Winner Takes All” triple threat match between Becky Lynch, Ronda Rousey, and Charlotte Flair for the Raw and Smackdown Women’s Championships, Lynch emerged victorious in New Jersey and walked away with both belts.
Super Bowl XLVIII
When the stadium opened in 2010, it was inevitable that a Super Bowl would be hosted in New Jersey. And the prophecy came true when the MetLife Stadium played host to the third-coldest Super Bowl in history. On 2nd February 2014, the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos 43-8 to lift their first Super Bowl trophy. With many other stunning arenas around the country, it might be a while though before the Super Bowl returns to New Jersey.
Concerts
The stadium does not only play host to sporting events. Over the last 14 years, New Jersey has welcomed some of the biggest music artists through its doors. The likes of Bon Jovi, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, One Direction, Eminem, and Beyoncé have dazzled the 82,500-capacity stadium. The proximity to New York makes the MetLife Stadium an ideal location for most large-scale events and more big names will certainly grace the stage in East Rutherford in the future.