2026 World Cup NY Games - What Football Fans Need To Know

ARE YOU READY FOR WORLD CUP 2026?! If you are coming to New York to watch and be a part of the excitement of World Cup 2026, you need to know some key facts before you come.

What I am going to share with you here may leave some of you scratching your heads and wondering, why have I never known these facts. Every football fan (NFL & FIFA) should know this beforehand.

2026 WORLD CUP NEW YORK WILL NOT BE PLAYED IN NEW YORK

Yes! You read that correctly. None of the 2026 FIFA World Cup New York games, will be played in New York. All of them, including the FIFA World Cup 26 Final, will be played across the river in New Jersey.

East Rutherford, New Jersey (NJ), to be exact. Why in NJ and not in NY? Firstly, NY doesn't have a stadium big enough, and though NY has two NFL Football Teams, they both share the same stadium in NJ since 1984.

Both the NY Giants & NY Jets play in MetLife Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 82,500. The largest stadiums in NY are half the size. The NY Mets & NY Yankees play at Citi Field 41,800 & Yankee Stadium 46,537.

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ is the only stadium in the area that can support enough fans for the 2026 World Cup matches in the New York market. Also, FIFA renamed the stadium per their rules.

MetLife Stadium is now temporarily called, "New York, New Jersey Stadium" because FIFA's rules state that every host stadium cannot be named by a corporate sponsor. Now all signage needs to be changed.

The above image shows one of the MetLife Stadium signs removed and replaced with a banner sign that says, "We Are New York New Jersey" and as of yesterday when I drove by, all signage has been changed.

2026 WORLD CUP SCHEDULE NEW YORK

Are you wondering, what is the schedule for the 2026 World Cup in New York? There will be a total 8 matches, including the FIFA World Cup 26 Final on July 19, 2026. New Jersey is going to ROCK!

If you are lucky enough to have tickets to any of the games or you will be watching it from thousands of other locations in the NY/NJ Metro Area, below are the Dates and Time of each match and final.

WHAT TO EXPECT IF YOU DRIVE TO THE STADIUM

I personally live no more than a 15 minutes drive from the New York, New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ and I drive all of the roads and highways in the area for my day job in healthcare transport.

Under normal NON-GAME Days, the traffic can be frustrating. The stadium is part of the NJ Meadowlands Sports Complex, directly across from American Dream, a super shopping mall and entertainment complex.

The stadium also sits at the intersection of NJ Route 3 and Interstate 95, also known as the NJ Turnpike. Both highways lead into and out of New York City, making the stadium only 10 miles from NYC.

Don't let the close distance fool you. The traffic is so bad in this area, it can take you two hours to drive only 10 miles. So if you are driving to the stadium, plan ahead and start your commute 3 hours early.

If you should take an Uber or Lyft to the matches, be aware that some of those Ride-Share drivers may not remember that MetLife Stadium is temporarily called New York, New Jersey Stadium.

Also if you drive and cannot find parking at the stadium, you should be able to park across the highway at American Dream. There is a foot bridge that connects the American Dream parking lot to the stadium parking.

DO NOT PARK ON LOCAL SIDE STREETS OR UNAUTHORIZED INDUSTRIAL PARKING LOTS! Your car will get towed away! Make sure to have a lot of money because parking will be more expensive.

HOW TO PLAN MY TRIP FOR THE 2026 WORLD CUP IN NEW YORK

Here is a travel tip you may not hear from event organizers and especially those within New York as a whole. Unless you are staying with family & friends who live in NY, do not stay in NY. Stay in New Jersey.

The reason for this is for an easier and quicker commute to the stadium and all other FIFA 2026 World Cup Events happening all around the area of the stadium. There are MANY hotels in the immediate area.

Within a 5 mile radius of the stadium you have 50 to 100 hotels, easy, most likely more than 100. This area, because it is so close to New York City, gets a lot of tourists year round, so try to find a hotel in NJ.

There are also many local restaurants and bars that will be hosting World Cup 2026 events, as there are tens of thousands of New Jersey residents from the very countries represented in the matches.

American Dream is so HUGE, you can barely see the top of 82,000+ seats MetLife Stadium on the opposite side

You will not be bored or unable to find something to do associated with the 2026 FIFA World Cup, especially here in NJ where all the games will be played. You can also have tons of fun at American Dream.

There is the world's largest indoor wave pool, indoor skiing, indoor amusement park, in addition to the giant shopping mall and dozens of restaurants, all which will be selling 2026 World Cup merchandise.

WHY BUY IN NEW JERSEY AND NOT NEW YORK? Did you know many New Yorkers shop here in NJ? We here in NJ enjoy Sales Tax Exemptions on many different products and our sales tax is less than New York's.

Sales Tax Exempt items include most food sold as grocery items, most clothing and footwear, disposable paper products for household use, prescription drugs, and over-the-counter drugs, to name a few.

So when you want to buy merch and attend NFL or FIFA Football Games that are billed as a New York sports event, just know it will always be played here across the Hudson River in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

NOTE: U.S. President Donald Trump will attend Sunday's FIFA World Cup Final on July 19th in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Expect SEVERE Traffic, road closures and heightened security in the area.

Though President Trump is a native New Yorker, he spends more time here in NJ. - If you have any comments, questions or recommendations about anything I mentioned in this post, please leave them below.