Football fans rejected the decision to host the 2026 World Cup final at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, given the lack of transportation and unpredictable weather.
“Dude, people from all over the world come here. And no one wants to rent a car to drive to a distant suburb for the game. American stadiums suck when it comes to accessibility, no one comes behind in the World Cup,” a user on X responded to the news.
While another X user wrote: ‘I love NY/NJ. Lived in Brooklyn for over 50 years. But I’ve been to MetLife Stadium. It’s a generic venue with no charm or any sense of football history. The weather can also be a negative factor. The Rose Bowl lacks a lot of creature comforts, but looks great on TV and will host the finals.”
On Sunday, FIFA announced the decision to host the final of the world’s biggest football competition above Dallas and Los Angeles in New York.
MetLife Stadium – home to New York’s two NFL teams, the Jets and Giants – is actually located in Jersey, but has the Manhattan skyline as its backdrop. MetLIfe’s regular capacity is 82,500, but has no room to expand further.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will be the site of the 2026 World Cup finals. The New York City Metro Stadium was chosen over facilities in LA and Dallas
Italy’s Robert Baggio celebrates with the crowd after scoring in the 1994 World Cup semi-final against Bulgaria at Giants Stadium in New York. Now a final will take place at the same location in 2026
While AT&T Stadium in Dallas held 93,000 spectators and SoFi Stadium in LA offers predictably sunny and mild weather in Southern California in July.
In 1994, the last time the World Cup took place in the US, there were games at New Jersey’s Giants Stadium, but the final was held at the Rose Bowl.
In response to the 2025 decision, one user on
“We really chose this ugly venue to play the World Cup final,” another user posted on X.
One user joked about the stadium’s disappointing exterior, hinting that FIFA World Cup fans from around the world would be disappointed to arrive at MetLife Stadium ‘instead of Los Angeles or even Dallas for the final’ .
“It should have been SoFi. That stadium is world class. They picked the worst of the three,” said a football fan on X.
“LA already had a World Cup final and Dallas was a logistical nightmare,” one user replied – while another pointed out that LA’s time zone was another reason FIFA chose MetLife.
FIFA announced this on Sunday in a television studio in Miami, where they also assigned the opener of the 39-day tournament to the Estadio Azteca in Mexico City on June 11.
The next World Cup will expand from 32 teams to 48 for the first time, with a total of 104 matches to be played in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
A country will have to play eight matches to win the title, compared to seven since 1982.
Kim Kardashian and her son Saint announced that the U.S. team will play its opener at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California, on June 12, then travel to Seattle’s Lumen Field and conclude the group stage in SoFi.
Reports last month suggested AT&T Stadium in Dallas would host the Finals in 2026, where 93,000 people could watch the game
LA’s SoFi Stadium hosted the Super Bowl, but will not be the venue for the 2024 World Cup Finals
LA’s Rose Bowl hosted the final in 1994
Brazil’s Romario is tackled by Italy’s Franco Baresi during the 1994 World Cup final
FIFA President Gianni Infantino announced that the opening match for 2026 would be played in Mexico City
Despite missing the finals, AT&T Stadium has the most games of any venue with nine, and officials there said one of the games is a semifinal.
Officials at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta said the other semifinal was played there. FIFA officials have not publicly explained their venue decision-making process.
Canada, meanwhile, will play its opening first-round match on June 12 in Toronto, followed by the next two games in Vancouver.
Other US venues include Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts; NRG Stadium in Houston; Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri; Lincoln financial field in Philadelphia; Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
When the U.S. hosted the 24-nation, 52-game tournament in 1994, the final took place at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, and the opener at Soldier Field in Chicago.
During the 1994 World Cup, seven of the matches were hosted at New Jersey’s ‘Giant’s Stadium’, as it was previously known.