MetLife Stadium

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, sits just across the Hudson River from Manhattan and will stage the grandest occasion of the 2026 FIFA World Cup: the Final on Sunday, 19 July 2026. During the tournament FIFA will refer to the venue as the New York New Jersey Stadium, in line with its policy of removing commercial branding.

The stadium in brief

Opened in 2010 at a cost of roughly US$1.6 billion, MetLife is one of only two stadiums in the NFL shared by two franchises, the New York Giants and the New York Jets. Its World Cup seated capacity is around 82,500, making it one of the largest venues of the tournament. The arena previously hosted Super Bowl XLVIII (2014) and a host of major concerts and international fixtures, and a natural-grass surface has been installed especially for the World Cup.

History

MetLife replaced the legendary Giants Stadium on the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Built in under three years, it was designed as a neutral, dual-branded home so that both New York teams could share it equally. For 2026 it becomes the centrepiece of the most expansive World Cup ever held, the climax of a 104-match tournament played across three nations.

2026 FIFA World Cup matches

MetLife hosts eight matches, including the Final. All times are local (Eastern, UTC-4) with UTC in brackets:

• June 13 - Brazil vs Morocco (Group C) - 6:00 PM local (22:00 UTC)


• June 16 - France vs Senegal (Group I) - 3:00 PM local (19:00 UTC)


• June 22 - Norway vs Senegal (Group I) - 8:00 PM local (00:00 UTC (Jun 23))


• June 25 - Ecuador vs Germany (Group E) - 4:00 PM local (20:00 UTC)


• June 27 - Panama vs England (Group L) - 5:00 PM local (21:00 UTC)


• June 30 - Round of 32 (Winner I vs best third) (Round of 32) - 5:00 PM local (21:00 UTC)


• July 5 - Round of 16 (Round of 16) - 4:00 PM local (20:00 UTC)


• July 19 - FINAL (Final) - 3:00 PM local (19:00 UTC)