It’s official: The New York City region will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final.
MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, AT&T Stadium in Arlington, and SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles had emerged as the front-runners to host the men’s championship out of the 16 cities hosting matches across the U.S., Mexico, and Canada.
MetLife Stadium and AT&T Stadium were more accommodating than SoFi—both venues had announced plans to remove seats to better fit a soccer pitch, while SoFi had not. Plus, stadium owner Kroenke Sports & Entertainment reportedly didn’t agree with FIFA about revenue sharing.
New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and New York City Mayor Eric Adams penned an op-ed in Front Office Sports in November arguing their case for MetLife.
“When it comes to logistics and infrastructure, we believe we’re best-suited to provide the game the stage it deserves. When our uniquely passionate fan base and regional cultural offerings are taken into account, our case only becomes stronger,” Murphy and Adams wrote, while also highlighting their stadium’s capacity and region’s unique ability to handle the traffic of Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour.
In addition to AT&T Stadium, Dallas bidders had teased the idea of doubling ticketed-event capacity by opening up the current and former homes of the Texas Rangers for live watch parties. Between expanding attendance at AT&T above the stadium’s standard capacity and opening up the two baseball parks, about 200,000 people could pack into the Arlington complex.
But it was to no avail—FIFA chose New York.
MetLife was constructed in the parking lot of Giants Stadium, which hosted World Cup matches in 1994. Dallas hosted the tournament at the Cotton Bowl. Brazil won the final match at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena.
FIFA also announced the schedule for the tournament’s 104 matches, where opening matches will take place, and the group-stage locations for the host country’s national team.
