Photo courtesy of Tariq Zehawi | NorthJersey.com
Next summer, you might want to plan to be in New Jersey.
And that’s because the Garden State will be hosting eight FIFA World Cup 2026™ matches including the final. If you don’t know by now, that’s kind of a big deal, at least according to Alex Lasry, the CEO of the FIFA World Cup 26™ NYNJ Host Committee.
The FIFA World Cup is a prominent international soccer tournament that, for the first time ever, will be happening in three countries and with 48 qualifying teams. The matches will take place in Canada, Mexico and USA from June 11, 2026 to July 19, 2026 with cities like Atlanta, Boston, Miami and New York/New Jersey hosting games.
Last month, FIFA World Cup 2026™ officially announced the match schedules and MetLife Stadium located in East Rutherford, just as little as 10-15 minutes from Hudson County, will host:
FIFA World Cup 26™ Group Stage Fixtures
- Match 7 – Group C on Sat. June 13, 2026
- Match 17 – Group I on Tues. June 16, 2026
- Match 41 – Group I on Mon. June 22, 2026
- Match 56 – Group E on Thurs. June 25, 2026
- Match 67 – Group L on Sat. June 27, 2026
FIFA World Cup 26™ – Round of 32 Fixtures
- Match 77 – Group I Winners vs. Group C/D/F/G/H Third Place on Tues. June 30, 2026
FIFA World Cup 26™ – Round of 16 Fixtures
- Match 91 – Winner Match 76 vs. Winner Match 78 on Sun. July 5, 2026
FIFA World Cup 26™ Final Match
- Match 104 – Winner Match 101 vs. Winner Match 102 on Sun. July 19. 2026
This week, Lasry, the newly appointed CEO of the FIFA World Cup 26™ NYNJ Host Committee, spoke at the Hudson Chamber Annual Meeting and the Hudson County World Cup Kick Off Webinar to encourage businesses to get excited and start planning for the “largest sports and entertainment event.”
The New York/New Jersey region is going to be the only region in the country open all 40 days of the tournament and the FIFA World Cup 2026™ is expected to generate over $2 billion in revenue for the area, attracting an estimated 1 million visitors and create about 14,000 jobs, Lasry noted.
During the World Cup Kick Off webinar, Lasry was joined by the Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs, Hudson County Chamber of Commerce, the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of NJ and the Small Business Development Center at NJCU where the goal of the meeting was to encourage keeping tourism during the World Cup in Hudson County while also prioritizing fan experiences for local residents and opportunities for local businesses.
The Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development will work on updating transportation guides and itineraries prior to the World Cup to help ensure hotels, restaurants and the county build a strong relationship to help cross promote for these events.
Fan events and food are going to be key attractions for tourists and locals, which all local representatives said gives Hudson County the advantage of being one of the appeals during the World Cup as it is repeatedly recognized as one of the most diverse places in the country; this is reflective in local restaurants that serve cuisines from all over the world like the Dominican Republic, Cuba, El Salvador and the Philippines.
Everyone on the panel chanted the need to create memorable customer experiences for tourists and locals during the World Cup to encourage people to want to return to Hudson County beyond the World Cup.
“We are only going to be as successful as the businesses around us. We are expecting a $2-4 billion economic impact for the region and we want to make sure that it is felt all across Hudson County.”
Lasry told Slice of Culture
For anyone looking to get involved or keep updated with the FIFA World Cup 2026™ , you can find more information at:
- FIFA World Cup 2026: https://www.fifa.com/
- HCEDC: www.hudsonedc.org
- Hudson County: https://www.hcnj.us/
- Hudson County Office of Cultural and Heritage Affairs/Tourism Development: https://hudsoncountyculturalaffairs.org/ and https://www.visithudson.org/
- Hudson County Chamber of Commerce: https://www.hudsonchamber.org/ or Email: eedwards@hudsonchamber.org
- Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of NJ: https://shccnj.org/
- Small Business Development Center at New Jersey City University: https://sbdchudsoncounty.com/
This year the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will also be coming to MetLife Stadium, who will host the final on July 13, 2025.
See the match schedule below:
- Sun. June 15 | Group A, Match 4: SE Palmeiras (São Paulo, Brazil) vs. FC Porto (Porto, Portugal) – 6:00 p.m. EST.
- Tues. June 17 | Group F, Match 9: Fluminense FC (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) vs. Borussia Dortmund (Dortmund, Germany) – 12:00 p.m. EST.
- Thurs. June 19 | Group A, Match 17: SE Palmeiras (São Paulo, Brazil) vs. Al Ahly FC (Cairo, Egypt) – 12:00 p.m. EST.
- Sat. June 21 | Group F, Match 27: Fluminense FC (Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) vs. Ulsan HD FC (Ulsan, South Korea) – 6:00 p.m. EST.
- Mon. June 23 | Group A, Match 36: FC Porto (Porto, Portugal) vs. Al Ahly FC (Cairo, Egypt) – 9:00 p.m. EST.
- Sat. July 5 | Quarter-final: Winner Match 55 vs. Winner Match 56 – 4:00 p.m. EST.
- Tues. July 8 | Semi-final: Winner Match 57 vs. Winner Match 58 – 3:00 p.m. EST.
- Wed. July 9 | Semi-final: Winner Match 59 vs. Winner Match 60 – 3:00 p.m. EST.
- Sun. July 13 | Final: Winner Match 61 vs. Winner Match 62 – 3:00 p.m. EST.
