World Cup 2026: Is MetLife Stadium the right choice to host the final?

Ask the locals and they’ll confirm that the stadium has long had a bad reputation.

“For lack of a better word, the technical term for MetLife Stadium is ‘blah,'” said longtime New Jersey sports columnist Steve Politi. One of his readers once compared its appearance to a giant prison toilet, another to a large air conditioner.

The stadium is home to two American football franchises, the New York Giants and the New Jersey Jets – and Polity explains that, by design, the stadium had to accommodate the wants and needs of different people.

He said the result was a soulless, large empty building that, for many fans, didn’t live up to its $1.6 billion price tag.

Opened in 2010, the stadium has a modern metal louvered exterior, with programmable lights that can glow in any color. It is one of the largest stadiums used in the NFL, and can be adjusted for concerts and other events, with an open-air bowl that fits 82,500 spectators and 200 luxury suites across four levels. It has hosted everything from a Super Bowl and WrestleMania to concerts by Paul McCartney and Beyoncé.

The multipurpose venue is located in a former wetland surrounded by highways five miles west of Manhattan, a 750-acre area known as the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

This area is generally difficult to navigate without a car, and even then it is very densely populated.

Fans taking rideshares had to navigate swirling lanes of traffic and closed roads to get to the correct drop-off zone.

Those who took the shuttle, or the 20,000 who took the train, had an easier experience. Although they were disappointed by the high price — $98 a ticket for NJTransit tickets — and having to wait in heavy crowds to board the train, most were satisfied with the efficient commute.

“It was a bit late getting in, but it was OK,” said Jason Bentham, 56, who traveled from Manchester. His main complaint about his experience, though, was the high price of beer at the stadium. Of the three venues he visited — he also went to Boston — his favorite was Atlanta, which is air-conditioned unlike MetLife Stadium.

“The stadium (in Atlanta) was amazing,” he said. “It was hot when I was out so when we got in it had a roof and it was all air-conditioned, incredible stadium … and the beers weren’t that expensive.”

Still, the city he enjoyed overall was New York, where he also watched darts competitions at Madison Square Garden and enjoyed the city’s atmosphere and bars.

To FIFA, that’s MetLife Stadium’s appeal – its access to the biggest media market.