MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey – just outside New York City – has been chosen as the venue for the 2026 World Cup final.
FIFA’s decision means AT&T Stadium in Dallas has been snubbed, despite reports last month it was the favorite.
MetLife Stadium – home of New York’s two NFL teams, the Jets and Giants – is actually based in Jersey but boasts the Manhattan skyline as its backdrop.
Its regular capacity is narrowly larger than the AT&T at 82,500 but has no room to expand further.
FIFA made the announcement Sunday at a Miami television studio on Sunday, where they also allocated the opener of the 39-day tournament to Mexico City’s Estadio Azteca on June 11.
MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey – just outside New York City – has been chosen as the venue for the 2026 World Cup final.
The next World Cup is going to be expanded from 32 teams to 48 for the first time, with a total of 104 games to be played across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
A nation will need to play eight matches to win the title, up from seven since 1982.
Kim Kardashian and her son Saint announced 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 finish the group stage at SoFi.
Despite missing out on the final, AT&T Stadium has the most matches 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 being played there. FIFA officials did not publicly explain their site-decision process.
Canada, meanwhile, will play its opening first-round match in Toronto on June 12, then its following two games in Vancouver.
More to follow.