This is what the 2026 FIFA World Cup is all about.
Hundreds of people gathered for a parade inside Newark’s Gateway on a blustery December day just to talk about how exciting the world’s biggest event will be when it comes to the U.S. next summer.
There was talk about how large brands (including Onyx Equities and Hackensack Meridian Health) will play a role in the success of the event.
Talk about how municipalities, large and small, can benefit from the influx of fans and their dollars.
Talk about how cool it will be when the final at MetLife Stadium on July 19 — an event that may be watched by more than 2 billion people.
Talk about how something that is months away is worthy of the hype.
“If you can’t get excited about this …” NY/NJ Host Committee CEO Alex Lasry told the crowd.
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The day’s event, the creation of Ron Simoncini and Axiom Communications, was a mini parade from Gateway 4 to Gateway 1 — with two stops along the way — followed by three panel discussions.
Jonathan Schultz, co-founder of Onyx Equities, offered the first remarks on the tour, detailing how the firm already is dressing up Gateway complex with everything from flags of the 42 nations that have qualified and a mini-pitch in the Jewel Box lobby to signage on the walkways and staircases throughout.
“We’ve been truly energized by this World Cup opportunity,” he said. “Our goal is to ensure meaningful activation, not just here at Gateway, but across our broader portfolio and the amazing communities that we serve, because we are all about community.
“You can see it being demonstrated here today. We envision Gateway as a fully immersive World Cup experience.”
The next speaker, John Harkes, knows all about that experience, having played for the U.S. in two World Cups, including 1994, the first time the event was held here.
Speaking at the second stop, he said the event will be unlike anything anyone has experienced. And one that everyone needs to take it all in.
Harkes said the game-day experience will produce an indelible mark.
“It leaves a connection to all of us in a different way,” he said. “It’s not just the stadium. It’s not just this hallway and this walkway that makes it really special. It is the experience and the moments that people are connecting the game.”
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Onyx Equities co-founder John Saraceno knows the impact a World Cup can have. He traces his love of soccer back to the 1994 World Cup. That event, he said, is the reason that he and his family became soccer junkies — taking in a game in every game they travel to.
Saraceno traces Onyx’s interest in becoming a sponsor to Feb. 4, when New Jersey learned it would host the final.
“I was watching that event and seeing the sheer energy of working that hard to win (the right to host the final),” he said. “As soon as I was over, I was like, ‘I need to figure out how to be a part of this.’
“This is absolutely going to be something that all of us will remember for a very long time.”
Jose Lozano, the chief growth officer at Hackensack Meridian Health, was a key player in bringing the final to the area, through his previous role as CEO of Choose New Jersey.
When he came to Hackensack Meridian, he knew that becoming a World Cup supporter was inevitable.
“I think the Hackensack Meridian Health family and the team members have learned to sort of expect to be a part of any major event that happens in the New Jersey area,” he said.
The HMH support will be present in many ways.
“Hackensack University Medical Center is the busiest emergency room in the country,” he said. “We have become accustomed to taking care of folks from around the world, from all different races, ethnicities and multiple languages.
“We have that experience. We want to ensure that those that are traveling to New Jersey have the best experience and the healthiest experience.”
Fun and excitement.
That’s what the World Cup is about.
That’s what Saraceno, Schultz and the Onyx team wanted to bring to Newark on this cold day — a sneak preview of what is to come.
“This is a perfect example of trying to activate and energize the state and the people around it — and to work together to make sure that we don’t miss the opportunity,” he said. “One of the things that is important to me personally is to make sure that we don’t have regrets when this is over, that we missed the moment in New Jersey. So hopefully events like this and continuing to champion and create an energy around it.”
