Meadowlands Has 50-50 Shot To Host 2026 World Cup Final Game: Murphy

SECAUCUS, NJ — Gov. Phil Murphy said last week that the Meadowlands now has a 50/50 shot at getting to host the final World Cup game in 2026.

The governor said this in a talk he gave Thursday, Oct. 26 before the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce.

In that talk, Murphy revealed that the Meadowlands will host at least eight World Cup soccer games when the next World Cup is played in summer 2026, whic heh called "the equivalent of eight Super Bowls in six weeks." Most importantly, he also said the Meadowlands now has a 50/50 shot at getting the World Cup final match.

Dallas is the other city in the running to host the 2026 World Cup finals.

The governor said he and New York City Mayor Eric Adams have been "aggressive" in talking to World Cup officials and trying to get venues in New Jersey/NYC to host the games. The most recent World Cup was held in 2022 in Qatar.

"We are spending an enormous amount of time on the men's World Cup," said Murphy in the talk. "No matter what, we'll have plus or minus eight games, most likely plus, in the 2026 cup. I guess eight-ish games. We are still competing aggressively for the finals, but I say that's a 50-50 proposition, against Dallas of all places."

Even if the Meadowlands is not chosen to host the final game, hosting any World Cup game is a huge economic boost to an area. Murphy compared one single World Cup game to the Super Bowl in term of fan turnout and money spent on hotels, entertainment, transportation, etc.

You can watch Gov. Murphy's comments here; his comments on the World Cup start at 23:25: