FIFA Doesn’t Seem to Know the Difference Between New York and New Jersey — Where It’s About to Host a World Cup Final

Ahmad Austin Jr.Feb 6th, 2024, 4:53 pm
 
MetLife Stadium

Scott Boehm/AP

FIFA is having a tough time acknowledging the fact that the 2026 World Cup final will be in New Jersey as opposed to iconic New York City.

The next World Cup will be in North America, with cities in Mexico, the United States, and Canada hosting matches throughout the tournament. MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and New York Jets, will host the final.

Although New York-based teams play there, MetLife Stadium is actually in East Rutherford, New Jersey. It still considered to be within the New York metropolitan area.

Because of this, FIFA’s marketing for the stadium has been awkward. Other host cities, including Toronto, Mexico City, and Philadelphia, have their names displayed exactly as they should be. For MetLife, however, the host city is listed as “New York New Jersey.”

FIFA World Cup web page

FIFA

The region was given the same description when FIFA announced MetLife would host the final.

The decision to include New York in the marketing material is an obvious one. For a global audience, the idea of the championship match being played in a relatively unknown city in North Jersey isn’t as appealing as New York.

Still, marketing the two states together has led to some a handful of factual blunders. On a list of facts, FIFA mentioned Bruce Springsteen as one of New York’s “most famous natives.”

Springsteen, as millions across the country know by now, is arguably the biggest name to ever come out of New Jersey.

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