Tourism

Preparing for World Cup 2026

Various stakeholders are working hard to make sure businesses will get a piece of the expected $3 billion that will be generated when the world’s biggest sporting event comes to New Jersey next year.

By Anthony Birritteri, Editor-in-Chief On May 2, 2025

According to Gov. Phil Murphy, the FIFA World Cup 2026, with eight of its 104 matches being played at MetLife Stadium, including the final on July 19, is a once-in-a-lifetime economic engine for the entire region, generating up to $3 billion, attracting more than 1 million visitors, and creating some 14,000 jobs. “The biggest match of the biggest sporting event in history will be played right here in New Jersey, while being viewed by billions of people across the globe,” Murphy said.

The big question is: “Are New Jersey businesses ready to capitalize on the dollars the games will generate from visitors?” Attendees will not only need restaurants and lodging for the amount of time they may stay in New Jersey – MetLife games will span from June 13 through July 19 – but they may want to fill the long game gaps by visiting the state’s tourism and cultural attributes. The economic benefits may filter down to bars and restaurants in local towns with large ethnic populations that may decide to hold World Cup watch parties during game times.

Additionally, South Jersey will benefit from World Cup matches being held in Philadelphia. Since games will also be held in Boston, dedicated soccer fans may travel on the Northeast Corridor rail line to see games in Philadelphia, the Meadowlands, and Boston. In short, New Jersey will be home base for many fans who have tickets for World Cup games along the Northeast.

All the major players involved in making the World Cup a success are doing their best to help businesses, both large and small, make sure they take advantage of the opportunities the games will present.

For Alex Lasry, CEO of the FIFA World Cup 2026™ NY/NJ Host Committee, a quality fan experience equates to businesses being ready to accommodate visitors. “Every day, all I’m thinking about is the fan experience; making sure people are able to get to and from the stadium in a safe and secure way, while making sure they have things to do when they are not at the stadium,” Lasry says.

The NY/NJ Host Committee is working with chambers of commerce, businesses, and city and county officials to make sure everyone is prepared for what Lasry says will be billions of dollars in economic impact. “We will be revamping our website (nynjfwc26.com), and putting together a toolkit and developing guidelines to help local businesses and organizations,” he says, adding that communications between FIFA ( Fédération Internationale de Football Association), federal, state and local officials is one of the most important undertakings right now because “the size and scope of this is unlike anything we have ever seen. We’ve had the Super Bowl, we’ve had Taylor Swift … we’ve had anything and everything in MetLife Stadium, but none of that is comparable in size and scope to the World Cup.”

A Reference Guide, App & Map

At press-time, businesses can access a 2026 World Cup Reference Guide at https://diversechambers.com/world-cup. The brainchild of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey (SHCCNJ), the New Jersey Diverse Business Advisory Council (NJDBAC – of which NJBIA is a member), Evolvere Consulting, and Juegos.Juegos, the guide is designed for businesses, organizations, and individuals looking to draw attention, generate revenue, and engage with the local and global audiences that the World Cup brings.

At a glance, it offers business recommendations, ideas, and opportunities for a variety of industries; FIFA guidelines; World Cup key dates; tips for holding independent festivals; ideas for World Cup-related art endeavors; and more.

Gus Penaranda, CEO of Evolvere Consulting and NJDBAC member, explains that the guide emerged from discussions between Luis De La Hoz, chairman of the SHCCNJ, Elisa Charters, co-founder of Latina Surge, and himself. “We realized we were repeatedly all talking about the same thing and thought: ‘Why don’t we write it all down and create a booklet?” Penaranda recalls.

In addition to a guide, a Juegos.Juegos social scheduling app has been developed. Spearheaded by Elisa Charters and students from the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT), the app provides what Penaranda describes as “one-stop shopping” for World Cup events. Small businesses can make themselves known to users, towns can post events, and fans, in general, can connect.

In March, at a World Cup 2026 –101 event at New Jersey City University, the NJDBAC introduced an online map of the entire state – scheduled to go live in January 2026 – that will present bullet-pointed businesses, restaurants, hotels, sports venues, soccer team training sites, tourism sites, museums, concert venues, etc. It is expected to be merged into the Juegos.Juegos app. Advertising on NJDBAC’s online map will range from $995 to $3,495 and comes with a range of features including online video of individual businesses.

SHCCNJ’s De La Hoz emphasizes that the focus of the chamber and NJDBAC is getting Main Street businesses to benefit from the World Cup without having to pay a licensing fee to FIFA.

“FIFA is focused on the stadium and on the Fan Fest, but not every day will be a game day. People will be looking for other activities. They need food, entertainment, and shopping, etc. We want small businesses to get a piece of that action,” De La Hoz says.

Though the games are some 400 days away, he stresses that businesses should start preparing now rather than later. “It is never too early to be prepared. You can’t try and get ready a week before. You may not have enough time or resources. The better prepared you are, the better you will be able to capitalize on the event,” he says.

On June 10, the SHCCNJ and Evolvere will hold a “Countdown to the World Cup” event inside the American Dream mall at the Meadowlands. Similar to last year’s inaugural event at the same location, its mission is to educate small businesses and municipalities on how they can benefit from the matches. Penaranda expects between 600 to 1,000 people to attend.

At press-time, he says a Countdown is also being planned in Atlantic City for the South Jersey/Philadelphia market. May 20 is the recommended date.

The Meadowlands Chamber

Closer to ground zero of where the World Cup matches will be played is the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce, where President Jim Kirkos and his team are making sure the economic impact of the games “will be as large as it could be.”

This means community awareness and making sure towns and businesses understand the nuances of the World Cup. “We’ll conduct educational sessions, assist businesses on marketing, customer service, and even intellectual property law [concerning FIFA brand guidelines] and international protocols, etc. … We want everyone to put their best foot forward,” Kirkos says.

The chamber worked diligently with area hotels in learning about and adhering to FIFA requirements. “There needed to be signed agreements for hotel room blocks and agreements on rates for FIFA staff, officials and teams … it was complex,” Kirkos explains. “We used our relationships with member hotels to help them understand the agreements. We hosted information sessions with the FIFA accommodations team to answer questions about the agreements so we could expedite the signing. Those agreements were included by the Host Committee in the bid submission as required by FIFA.”

Kirkos also understands that not all businesses will experience a windfall of economic activity. “Just because the games will be played at MetLife Stadium doesn’t necessarily mean people will find a restaurant on Ridge Road in North Arlington (some three miles away). So, what do we have to do? … We have to create the ‘there, there,’” he says.

The chamber is using destination marketing organization (DMO) funds to showcase the Meadowlands region. “With that money, we’re creating videos about the region’s assets, updating our website, and getting smarter about using artificial intelligence and key word searches,” Kirkos says. “Quite frankly, we are turning over stones trying to find every possible way to leverage the World Cup so that New Jersey benefits.”

Choosing NJ & the Legacy Impact

Before the NY/NJ Host Committee came into being, it was Choose New Jersey, the state’s leading non-profit business attraction organization, that led a cohort that included the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, the New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority, big-time soccer aficionado Gov. Phil Murphy, New York counterparts and private stakeholders, in pitching MetLife stadium and the region to FIFA. That was back in September of 2021. In June 2022, MetLife stadium was selected as a host city. In February of 2024, the stadium was selected to host the finals.

“That was monumental because all we heard was that the finals were going to go to Dallas, and maybe we’d get seven games,” says Wesley Mathews, president and CEO of Choose New Jersey.

Among the reasons why FIFA chose the New York/New Jersey region is because its media market is 10-times the size of the Dallas/Fort Worth metropolitan area. Additionally, the vast number of businesses here was also enticing to FIFA from a fundraising standpoint.

Mathews, who sits on the board of the NY/NJ Host Committee, says fundraising is important, with close to $200 million needed to be raised. “Whether it’s selling suits or sponsorship packages or putting together an unbelievable Fan Fest in Liberty State Park or Central Park, there’s a lot of day-to-day work happening,” he says.

While a lot of the money being raised is going towards hosting the games, infrastructure and security, Mathews hopes money will go towards “building out soccer as a [major] sport in New Jersey.”

Overall, he says the No. 1 legacy of the games for him is the impact of showcasing New Jersey as a premier North American destination for sports, business, and tourism.

“Delivering a successful World Cup, having people coming here for the first time and seeing our [tourism] gems and wanting to return, and inspiring the next generation of soccer fans and players … that’s the legacy we want New Jersey to have,” Mathews concludes.

Sports & Exposition Authority Getting MetLife Stadium Ready

By Nicholas Mammano, President & CEO, NJSEA

The New Jersey Sports & Exposition Authority (NJSEA) has been at the forefront of implementing Gov. Phil Murphy’s strategies to ensure that the FIFA World Cup 2026 matches at MetLife Stadium highlight the state as a premiere destination for international events. We are collaborating with the NYNJ Host Committee on its efforts with FIFA, local officials, law enforcement, transit agencies and other key stakeholders, including MetLife Stadium, to ensure the entire sports complex is fully prepared to shine.

Exciting things are planned in and around the complex. Exclusive fan experiences, new hospitality offerings, interactive fan zones, innovative wayfinding tools and expanded food and beverage options are just some of the ways this event will be special.

Critical infrastructure improvements on the complex are underway. NJSEA authorized and is overseeing the construction of a new pedestrian bridge over Route 120 to alleviate pedestrian traffic congestion and provide favorable pedestrian flow for years to come.

Our technical expertise in transportation engineering and operational experience at the sports complex are integral to this effort. We regularly work with mass transit partners on major events and are doing so in coordination with the NYNJ Host Committee in preparation for the matches.

Security is a top priority for all entities involved. As with all events at the complex, NJSEA will support efforts led by the New Jersey State Police. The NJSEA fire and EMS departments are also making important contributions to the planning for this event, which will meet the highest international security standards.

The FIFA World Cup 2026 presents opportunities for many businesses, and we are excited about the economic impact that will be delivered.

Prepping the State for a World Cup Tourism Extravaganza

With more than a million people coming to the region next year to see the World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, The New Jersey Division of Travel & Tourism knows that its main job will be to make the month-long event a tourism extravaganza.

The Division is working closely with all partners involved in making World Cup 2026 as successful as it can be. This includes FIFA, the NY/NJ Host Committee, and the state’s various destination marketing organizations (DMOs). It is using $15 million from the US Economic Development Administration and $25 million from the American Rescue Plan to market not only the World Cup, but the nation’s 250th anniversary, with its year-long celebrations.

One of the main questions the DMOs receives is: “Can we have a watch party in our community?” According to the division, official watch parties will be determined by FIFA and the Host Committee, but towns can have unofficial community events.

Working with its New York City partners, the division will have a landing page on its website (www.visitnj.org) with a map that visitors will be able to use to find lodging in both states.

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