EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (1010 WINS) -- The FIFA World Cup is coming to the U.S., and the New York-New Jersey area is trying to make sure its part of it.
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio hosted FIFA officials at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey — home of the NFL’s Giants and Jets.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is being hosted by the U.S., Mexico and Canada — the first time three countries will host the massive event.
“This is an immensely exciting opportunity to showcase our great state to an international audience,” said Murphy. “The FIFA World Cup is among the premier sporting events in the world and MetLife Stadium is among the country’s best, so we’re excited for the chance to bring the two together.”
In addition to touring the venue, which holds over 87,000 fans, FIFA officials also took a look at potential FIFA Fan Fest spots. Those included Central Park and Liberty State Park in Jersey City.
They also toured Rutgers University, the Pingry School, Kean University, Red Bull Arena and Training Facility, and the New York City Football Club Training Facility as potential World Cup training locations.
“New York City and New Jersey have all the assets we need to host an unforgettable World Cup: world-class, accessible facilities, a truly global population of fans, and the best tourist destinations on the globe,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “I’m proud to welcome FIFA to the region and I look forward to many more productive conversations in the coming months.”
The committee behind the joint New York-New Jersey bid launched a campaign called “Welcome, World,” which aims to show the region’s passion for soccer.
East Rutherford hosted seven 1994 World Cup games at Giants Stadium, including a semifinal game.
FIFA officials had good things to say about what they saw.
“This morning we received a great presentation from the governor, the deputy mayor and the whole range of officials who are involved in the candidate city bid,” said Colin Smith, chief tournaments and events officer for FIFA. “It was a very well structured, very professional presentation and we received a lot of good information. This region is used to hosting major event and to see the collaboration between all parties is obviously very important to us.”
Other U.S. cities bidding to host matches include Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, Orlando, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
A final decision on sites should come in early 2022.