North America has won the 2026 World Cup. Who will get the final now?
It has been nearly five years since a bid from the United States, Canada and Mexico defeated a proposal from Morocco to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup for men. Now the competition has gone intramural.
The stadiums for the tournament have been chosen, but FIFA, the governing body of world football, has not yet said which stadium will host the final match.
New York City and New Jersey officials are beginning a joint campaign to make that final for MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands, including an event in Times Square on Thursday morning featuring New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy and New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
“Eric and I feel strongly that we have by far the most compelling case for getting the best package, including the final,” Murphy said in a joint interview with Adams Wednesday morning.
In most other World Cups, the choice for the final match is obvious. Moscow, Rio de Janeiro and Paris would always be chosen when their countries hosted the tournament. But there are several attractive candidates for the 2026 final, which will be played on July 19. in the United States.)
The only previous time the United States hosted the World Cup, in 1994, the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, won the final. This time, SoFi Stadium is the Los Angeles area venue on the list of stadiums for 2026. But that stadium was built primarily for NFL football, and there are concerns that the field there is too narrow for football, leading to some seats need to be removed. , and reducing capacity.
Dallas has also emerged as a leading candidate, in part because the nearby AT&T Stadium could potentially be expanded to more than 100,000 seats for football.
But Adams and Murphy are arguing that the New York City area trumps those places as the best place for the game.
“Yes, LA is known for its extravaganza and Hollywood appeal,” Adams said. “But I think New York is the biggest stage.”
Murphy said, “New York is the international capital of the world. With no respect for Dallas, we’re taking over New York.”
The other contenders are not standing still. “We are now pleading with the committee that we would be the perfect venue for the semifinals and finals,” said Dan Hunt, president of Dallas’ bid, told the local NBC affiliate late last year. “We have two great airports, we have the infrastructure, we have the hotels, we have AT&T Stadium. We have what it takes to host what I call ‘the Super Bowl on steroids’.”
Los Angeles bid chief Kathryn Schloessman said, “Our region is fortunate to have a world-class stadium and infrastructure to qualify to host the Finals and other high-profile games.”
The decision will ultimately be made by top FIFA officials, up to and including President Gianni Infantino, with input from regional governing body Concacaf and US Soccer. The expectation is early autumn.
Whether or not the New York region wins the finals, there will likely be about eight games at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. become a great success,” said Murphy. ‘We will sell them all; it doesn’t matter who’s playing.”
“But it’s clear that making the final – and we think we’re in the best position to make it to the final – is the icing on the cake that is almost unparalleled in the sport,” he added. “There is both prestige and an extra boost to the regional economy.”
If a “massive success” is coming anyway, why is there such a hunger to make it to the finals? Adams acknowledged another motivation: “I am extremely competitive and I want to beat other cities to make it to the finals. We have been chosen, now it is time for us to take the cup home.”