MetLife Stadium is doing everything it can to squeeze the highly sought-after final match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup into an 82,500-seat venue that’s primarily home to the NFL’s New York Giants and Jets.
NFL fields aren’t wide enough to meet FIFA regulations for soccer pitch sizes. Another venue in the running for the final, AT&T Stadium in Dallas, is making renovations to accommodate the World Cup, while SoFi Stadium’s reported resistance to do so is complicating the status of Los Angeles, once seen as an attractive option to host the final.
Now, the New Jersey venue is planning to remove 1,740 seats to widen the field for World Cup matches, according to The Associated Press. NFL fields are 53.3 yards wide, and MetLife Stadium has previously used a field 70 yards wide for soccer matches but FIFA requires 75 yards of width.
Work on the seat removal won’t happen before MetLife Stadium hosts matches at this summer’s Copa America, which will be run by the North and South American soccer federations. After the World Cup, removable seating sections will replace those that were taken out. Additionally, MetLife and AT&T stadiums, along with six other U.S. host venues, will have to replace their artificial playing surfaces with natural grass for the World Cup.
And Then There Were Two
Beyond the field issues, Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke is reportedly feuding with FIFA over revenue sharing for the World Cup, in all likelihood taking SoFi Stadium out of the running for the final match.
In an attempt to bolster its bid, AT&T Stadium (which typically can fit up to 105,000 fans, factoring in standing-room-only areas) announced in 2022 that its field level would be raised by 15 feet to accommodate a wider playing surface. That move will cut off some lower-level seating, but the stadium is still expected to hold about 90,000 fans. And organizers have pitched a ticketed event that could attract 200,000 fans with watch parties at AT&T Stadium’s two neighboring venues, the current and former home of MLB’s Texas Rangers.
Earlier this NFL season, FIFA president Gianni Infantino visited both MetLife Stadium and AT&T Stadium. And in November, New York City mayor Eric Adams and New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy penned an op-ed for Front Office Sports, pitching MetLife Stadium’s bid for the World Cup final.
