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Soccer fans rejoice as MetLife Stadium is chosen to host World Cup matches
MetLife Stadium was selected as one of 16 cities to host the 2026 World Cup at a party held Thursday at Liberty State Park.
Anne Marie Caruso, NorthJersey.com
It looks like FIFA has chosen it to host the 2026 World Cup Finals, and that doesn’t bode well for the Garden State.
It was believed that MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford would be the finalist for the penultimate match of the World Cup tournament, but reports published Thursday said the global soccer organization would instead choose They chose AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
MetLife will host some games during the 2026 tournament as the New Jersey/New York venue, but it is still unclear which games will be held.
What did New Jersey officials say?
Gov. Phil Murphy said Tuesday that he didn’t know for sure when a decision would be made, but he expected it to be made soon, and at the time believed MetLife was still in the running. Ta.
The governor’s office had no comment Thursday and deferred all questions to FIFA, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
What does a stadium need to host FIFA World Cup matches?
The stadiums chosen for the World Cup range from 40,000 seats for group games and early tournament matches to a minimum of 80,000 seats for the opening and final games. According to the 2026 bid invitation, the venue for the semi-finals must have a capacity of 60,000 people.
MetLife Stadium hosted the Copa America final in 2016 and will host three games of the CONMEBOL Copa America 2024 tournament this summer, with a capacity of more than 82,000. Considering standing room capacity, AT&T could accommodate more than 100,000 ticketed attendees.
Coming this summer: Here are the fixtures for Copa America 2024 at MetLife Stadium
There will be 16 venues hosting soccer matches in the United States, Mexico and Canada for the 2026 World Cup.
Preparation for the world’s largest sporting event will be the responsibility of the New Jersey Department of Sports and Exposition and its committees. The authority is responsible for operating the MetLife Sports Complex, which includes the home of the Jets and Giants.
In 2022, the authority received $30 million in taxpayer funding to plan the design and upgrades of MetLife Stadium and surrounding facilities. This includes a contract worth approximately $16 million, or $15,989,722 to be exact, for the MetLife Stadium expansion.
In addition to the expansion, that $30 million includes $5 million paid to the host committee in the form of a revolving loan and $669,497 paid to the stadium as reimbursement for costs related to design and pre-construction work. Contains dollars.
The New Jersey Transit Authority will also spend $35 million to design a transportation system to serve the venue.
Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey State Legislature. Email: sobko@northjersey.com
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