2026 FIFA World Cup final
Aerial image of a large American football stadium with three tiers of stands and no roof; the stands are empty and several pieces of equipment are parked around its exterior.
Aerial view of MetLife Stadium in 2014, the host venue for the final
Event 2026 FIFA World Cup
Date July 19, 2026 (2026-07-19)
Venue MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford
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The 2026 FIFA World Cup final will be the final match of the 2026 World Cup, the 23rd edition of FIFA's competition for men's national soccer teams. The match is scheduled to be played at MetLife Stadium at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey, near New York City, on July 19, 2026.

Background

FIFA announced the date of the final on March 16, 2023.[1] The host of the final, MetLife Stadium, was announced by FIFA on February 4, 2024.[2] The announcement was originally anticipated for late 2023, but was delayed amid planning difficulties.[3]

Venue

The selected host venue for the final is MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, 10 miles (16 km) west of New York City.[4] During the tournament, FIFA will refer to the venue as "New York New Jersey Stadium" due to its sponsorship policies and branded signage will be covered or removed.[5][6] MetLife Stadium has primarily been used by the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL) since it opened in 2009.[4] It has a listed capacity of 82,500 seats and previously hosted Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014,[7] the Copa América Centenario final in 2016,[8] and 2025 FIFA Club World Cup final.[9]

The stadium is also scheduled to host seven other matches apart from the final match during the World Cup. During the tournament, the Meadowlands Rail Line, a shuttle train with no regular service,[10] and a new $35 million busway are planned to be used to transport attendees from the nearest transit hub at Secaucus Junction.[4][11] NJ Transit, the operator of both services, plans to issue $150 tickets for the train service with dedicated queues at New York Penn Station and $80 fares for buses. These costs, which are higher than normal event prices for MetLife Stadium services, were announced to offset the $48 million cost of providing event service and security that was not subsidized by FIFA and other grants.[12][13] In May 2026, NJ Transit announced that sponsorships and other funds raised would allow the fares to be cut by 30%, from $150 to $105.[14]

Host selection

The United 2026 bid—composed of the United States, Mexico, and Canada—was chosen to host the 2026 World Cup by FIFA during the 68th FIFA Congress on June 13, 2018. The bid planned to use 16 host cities spread across the three countries, with all matches from the quarterfinals onward played in the United States.[15][16] The venue for the final was not confirmed at the time, with MetLife Stadium named an early frontrunner due to its proximity to New York City and prior experience as host for major sporting events.[17][18][19] Its main competitor was SoFi Stadium, a new stadium in Inglewood, California, near Los Angeles, which was among the ten U.S. stadiums announced in June 2022. The Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, the Los Angeles area venue that hosted the 1994 men's final and 1999 women's final, was not chosen for the tournament due to its age.[20]

SoFi Stadium was designed primarily for American football with a field that is 69 yards (63 m) wide—narrower than FIFA's recommended dimensions.[21] According to media reports, the stadium's owner, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, was also unhappy with the revenue-sharing deal proposed by FIFA and threatened to cancel their plans to host World Cup matches.[22][23] In early 2023, AT&T Stadium in the Dallas area emerged as a potential host for the final due to its higher capacity of 90,000 seats and scheduled renovations to accommodate a wider field.[24][25] In January 2024, MetLife Stadium announced similar plans to widen its field for the World Cup by removing 1,740 seats in the corners.[26] According to The Athletic, the selection of MetLife Stadium came as a "surprise" to local officials, who organized a small viewing party for the announcement. Dallas's bid had been favored—and rumored as the winner in January—and included a simulcast of the match at two nearby venues to increase ticket revenue.[27]

Entertainment

Logo of the 2026 FIFA World Cup final halftime show

On September 28, 2024, FIFA announced that Global Citizen would co-produce a halftime show for the World Cup final, similar to those in the NFL's Super Bowl. It will be the first halftime show in the history of the FIFA World Cup.[28] On March 5, 2025, FIFA announced that Coldplay would assist with the final list of performers while also organizing a concert in Times Square during the weekend of the final.[29] On May 13, 2026, it was announced that Madonna, Shakira, and BTS would headline the halftime show and the show will be between 11 and 15 minutes long.[30] The show also aims to raise 100 million dollars for the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.[30]

Match

Details

Winner Match 101 Match 104 Winner Match 102
[Report 1]
MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford

Match rules[31]

  • 90 minutes
  • 30 minutes of extra time if necessary
  • Penalty shoot-out if scores still level
  • Maximum of fifteen named substitutes
  • Maximum of five substitutions, with a sixth allowed in extra time
  • Maximum of three substitution opportunities, with a fourth allowed in extra time
  • Maximum of one concussion substitution, granting the opposition an additional standalone substitution

References

  1. ^ "Date set for FIFA World Cup 26 final" (Press release). FIFA. March 16, 2023. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  2. ^ Dominski, Michael (February 4, 2024). "World Cup 2026 schedule announcement live updates: Latest as FIFA selects host city for final". The Athletic. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  3. ^ Panja, Tariq (September 15, 2023). "FIFA Delays Have Cities Worried About 2026 World Cup Plans". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  4. ^ a b c Blum, Ronald (February 4, 2024). "2026 World Cup final will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey". The Washington Post. Associated Press. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  5. ^ Bowman, Emma (February 4, 2024). "The 2026 World Cup final will take place at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium". NPR. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  6. ^ Mather, Victor (April 17, 2026). "New York New Jersey Stadium? Why MetLife Is Changing Its Name for the World Cup". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  7. ^ Waldstein, David (February 9, 2024). "'New York New Jersey' Got the World Cup Final. Now Comes the Hard Part". The New York Times. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  8. ^ Anzidei, Melaine; Rampling, Ali (February 4, 2024). "New Jersey's MetLife Stadium wins the 2026 World Cup final". The Athletic. Retrieved February 4, 2024.
  9. ^ Deen, Safid (September 28, 2024). "2025 FIFA Club World Cup final set: Where games will be played in U.S." USA Today. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  10. ^ Nessen, Stephen (February 6, 2024). "Is NJ Transit up for hosting the World Cup in 2026? Commuters are skeptical". Gothamist. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  11. ^ Higgs, Larry (February 6, 2024). "NJ Transit will operate 'on steroids' during the World Cup, Murphy says. Here's the plan". NJ.com. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  12. ^ Chen, Stefanos (April 17, 2026). "World Cup Transit Prices Are Set: $150 by Train and $80 for Shuttles". The New York Times. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  13. ^ "World Cup fans to MetLife Stadium will pay $150 train fares - NJ Transit". ESPN. Associated Press. April 17, 2026. Retrieved April 26, 2026.
  14. ^ Enuco, Matthew. "NJ Transit reduces controversial World Cup ticket prices", NJ.com, May 7, 2026. Accessed May 7, 2026. "NJ Transit plans to reduce round-trip train ticket prices for the World Cup by 30% after initially setting them at $150. Daily ticket prices to ride by train to the international soccer tournament will be cut by $45 to $105 after support from “sponsorships and other sources” helped offset the higher prices, according to a statement from NJ Transit."
  15. ^ Panja, Tariq; Das, Andrew (June 13, 2018). "World Cup 2026: United States, Canada and Mexico Win Bid to Be Host". The New York Times. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  16. ^ Belam, Martin (June 13, 2018). "Three hosts, 48 teams: how the 2026 World Cup will work". The Guardian. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  17. ^ Goff, Steven (June 16, 2018). "2026 World Cup host cities: Ranking the contenders". The Washington Post. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  18. ^ Conway, Richard (June 13, 2018). "World Cup 2026: How US, Canada & Mexico won right to host tournament". BBC Sport. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  19. ^ Sherman, Ted (September 23, 2021). "Will MetLife Stadium be home to the 2026 World Cup finals? N.Y. and N.J. hope to score a slot with FIFA". NJ.com. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  20. ^ "World Cup 2026 host cities confirmed: What you need to know about the 16 venues". FIFA. June 16, 2022. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  21. ^ Baxter, Kevin (August 3, 2022). "Leagues Cup friendlies showing L.A. is a soccer market". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  22. ^ Crafton, Adam (September 21, 2023). "Kroenkes in dispute with FIFA over SoFi Stadium deal for 2026 World Cup". The Athletic. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  23. ^ Bushnell, Henry (November 2, 2023). "LA-FIFA standoff at center of 2026 World Cup's first battle: Who's paying for it?". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  24. ^ Nudelstejer, Abraham (March 15, 2023). "FIFA delegation visits AT&T Stadium to offer insight on World Cup-prompted renovations". Dallas Morning News. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  25. ^ Wilen, Holden (January 18, 2024). "Some think DFW has already secured 2026 World Cup final". Dallas Business Journal. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  26. ^ "MetLife Stadium to remove 1,740 seats in bid to host 2026 World Cup final". The Guardian. Associated Press. January 4, 2024. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  27. ^ Anzidei, Melanie; Crafton, Adam (February 5, 2024). "Inside the World Cup 2026 final host city selection: Why New Jersey was picked over Dallas". The Athletic. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  28. ^ "Global Citizen to Produce Halftime Show for FIFA World Cup Final, Starting in 2026". Variety. September 28, 2024. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
  29. ^ Ogden, Mark (March 5, 2025). "Coldplay to plan '26 World Cup final halftime show". ESPN.
  30. ^ a b McKenna, Lorraine (May 14, 2026). "Madonna, Shakira & BTS to headline World Cup show". BBC Sport. Archived from the original on May 14, 2026. Retrieved May 14, 2026.
  31. ^ "FIFA World Cup 2026 Regulations" (PDF). FIFA. May 2025. Archived (PDF) from the original on June 23, 2025. Retrieved June 7, 2025.

Reports

  1. ^ "W101 vs W102 | Final | FIFA World Cup 2026". FIFA. Retrieved May 1, 2026.
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