How do you move 80,000 people? Run buses every 30 seconds. That’s the plan for this summer’s FIFA 2026 World Cup at MetLife Stadium.
Up to three million people will descend on New Jersey for the World Cup with more than 1 billion people worldwide expected to watch the five-week soccer tournament.
Christopher Feinthel, Assistant Director of Operations for the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) outlined preparations for the global event during a presentation at the March 9 NJTPA Board of Trustees meeting.
The FIFA match model is different than the typical New York Giants or Jets game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, Feinthel said. When teams are eliminated, they don’t simply return home but rather descend on the location where the final is played. So, after matches are completed at other sites, like Kansas City and Seattle, tans will be coming to the New Jersey area.
A field of 48 teams will play three matches within the group stage from June 11-June 27, followed by the knockout stage that culminates with the final on July 11 at MetLife, where eight matches in all will be played. World Cup matches will be played across 16 sites in North America, including 11 U.S. cities.
“There’s a lot of excitement for that but a lot of responsibility too,” Feinthel said.
No Tailgating
Attendees will be asked by NJDOT and NJ TRANSIT to take transit or rideshare to the games. NJ TRANSIT will run trains and buses to transport 20,000 people an hour for a duration of four hours before and after each match. The specific rideshare drop-off and pick-up lot is being finalized. It could be near the Meadowlands Racetrack, according to Feinthel.
No parking will be available on site at MetLife. Instead, 5,000 spaces will be reserved for ticket holders at American Dream mall. There will be no tailgating on site as parking areas will be used for international media and fan engagement events.
“They [FIFA] want that footprint there, which is good, we actually need that. If transit’s going to move that many people, you need to have a hook,” Feinthel said noting the fan engagement area should entice people to arrive early and leave later, which will help space out transit riders across the four hours needed to move fans.
More than just the World Cup
About a third of people attending matches in Philadelphia are expected to stay across the river in New Jersey, according to Feinthel. In addition, teams from Senegal, Haiti, Morocco, and Brazil will have base camps and be staying at hotels across the state, including Middlesex, Morris, Somerset and Atlantic counties.
“It truly will be a statewide event. It’s not just a northeast corner, NYC metro area event,” he said.
In addition to the World Cup, regional events are planned for America’s 250th anniversary on July 4. On the night of the World Cup final, Feinthel said Jon Bon Jovi has sold out a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City, and the Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played in Philadelphia on July 14. There will also be fan fests and watch parties throughout the region.
Taylor Swift
Feinthel and NJDOT have used Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras Tour as their guide to manage high-volume events at MetLife. The tour saw Vehicle Hours Delayed (VHD) spike by about 90 percent on roads around stadiums where the 25 concerts took place between March and May 2023.
NJDOT invested more than $62 million in improvements in and around MetLife Stadium, much of it in technology like Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) that will be used for future events, he said. About $24 million went toward repaving roads and another $16 million for drainage improvements to ensure bus mobility is not impacted by storms, in addition, to upgrades to improve aesthetics along World Cup routes.
Investments along Route 120/Paterson Plank Road include a hard shoulder to support a NJ TRANSIT bus rapid transit lane. There also will be dedicated lanes with special routes for more than 3,800 FIFA fleet vehicles and VIP guests from designated pick-up locations in New York City to the Meadowlands.
Part of the improvements to Route 120 included building sidewalks from some hotels so there’s access to the property. However, if a private property owner decides to sell parking and there’s no safe way to move people, that’s a concern, Feinthel said.
A recording of the March 9 meeting is available on the NJTPA’s YouTube channel.