FIFA World Cup 2026 N.Y./N.J. Host Committee CEO Alex Lasry started his presentation at the World Cup event sponsored by the New Jersey Chamber of Commerce last week with three numbers — none of which was this often-stated factoid: The last World Cup final was watched by more viewers than the previous 13 Super Bowls … combined.
No, this talk at Montclair State University was about how local businesses and communities can take advantage of the event, which will be played in New Jersey (and around North America) June 9-July 19 in 2026. The numbers:
- $2 billion-$4 billion: The economic activity the world’s biggest event will generate;
- 80,000: The number of spectators MetLife Stadium can accommodate for a match — there will be millions more who come to the area but don’t get into the stadium; and
- 8 + 32 = 40: There will be eight matches played at MetLife (including the final) — meaning there won’t be games on 32 days of the tournament.
How can the region capitalize?
Lasry, who joined the host committee earlier this spring, referenced one of his earlier jobs as a key to his role: He served as the deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism during President Joe Biden’s administration.
“We always talked about: How do you get people outside of the gateway hubs,” he said.
Especially during those 32 nonmatch days.
“That’s where the opportunity is for New York and New Jersey,” he said. “People are going to want to explore outside of MetLife and the region around it.
“So, how do we get people to go explore the rest of the state? How do we convince people to say, ‘I want some authentic Jersey experiences’? This is also the opportunity to show people all that New Jersey has to offer, to talk about the richness that the state has, all of the diversity that the state has, all of the beauty and exciting entertainment that the state has.”
Accomplishing that goal is easier said than done.
Lasry talked about creating fan guides on the host committee website, letting visitors know where they can go. He also stated the obvious: It will take a lot of effort by local businesses — and it will be driven by social media.
“It’s not going to just happen because we want it to — and it’s not going to just happen because the games are here,” he said. “It’s going to happen because all the bars, the restaurants, the hospitality, hotels, businesses take advantage of the opportunity and advertise and promote and put on their own ways of engaging and bringing people here and with social media. Now, it’s amazing how quickly reviews will come in.”
Done right, the payoff will last far longer than just the 40 days, he said.
Visitors, he said, need to come away thinking things such as: Montclair State would be a great place to go to school — and New Jersey would be a great place to go on a vacation or set up an office for my company.
That’s the power of having millions of visitors come to your area — and it leads to one more number:
4. 10-20 years: How long the area can benefit from the event.
“What we tend to see (at big events) is that everyone gets very focused on those dates and we lose sight of, ‘How do we make sure that this thing is going to reverberate for the next 5, 10, 20 years,’” he said.
“What this opportunity really provides us is the ability to showcase New Jersey to the world, the ability to let the world see all that the Garden State has to offer. And I think that’s what makes something like this extremely exciting.”
Lasry addressed a number of topics in the 30-minute presentation, which included questions from the audience. Here are more of his thoughts:
The role of the host committee
It has three pillars, he said:
- Security: We have to make sure that the games are safe and secure.
- Transportation: We want to make sure that everyone can get to and from the games or Fan Fest or just around the city and state an efficient and seamless manner.
- Economic impact: We want to make sure that all businesses are trying to take advantage of the opportunity that’s available.
Spurring future big events in area
“What we want to prove is that this is where you should be. We want to be able to show that, if any event is coming here, New York/New Jersey is the region for you. We want to make sure that, for every big sports entertainment event in the future, everyone’s going to start looking at New York/New Jersey as the place to put it.
South Jersey connection
FIFA World Cup 2026 N.Y./N.J. Host Committee CEO Alex Lasry said connecting North Jersey and South Jersey will be a key initiative for his group.
“We’re definitely working with all the other host committees on how we can make sure that this is an interconnected World Cup,” he said. “The (Philadelphia)-New Jersey connection is one we know very well. We’re working with our partners in New Jersey, NJ Transit and Amtrak, so it’s easy and seamless to be able to travel back and forth to games in both regions.
“We got an incredible relationship with the Philly host committee, and their CEO, Meg Kane, she is doing an amazing job.”
“We are now competing in a global marketplace for these events. We are not the only ones who are able to bid and put these on. We now have to show that there is an even bigger benefit for coming here.”
How host committee can help individual areas
“One of the things that we want to do on our website, on the app, is make sure that we’re providing a city and state guide, so that people have a one-stop shop where they can find some great, authentic experiences.
“I think one of the things that we’re seeing now is, when people are traveling, they are looking for unique experiences that take them off their phone. People are looking for those fun, unique experiences that they can post about.
“What we want to do is put some social content and video content around going to restaurants and bars and other establishment areas and telling people, ‘You’re coming in for the World Cup, this is where you should be.’”
Is Club World Cup a warm-up act?
“We’re very excited about it. I think it speaks to the growth of soccer in the region and the hunger for more soccer in the region. But I also want to be clear: There’s nothing like the World Cup. We will definitely do some things around security and transportation to test some things and see how it goes, but I don’t think that I’m going to look at the Club World Cup as the dress rehearsal for the World Cup.”
The final word
“The World Cup is the biggest global sporting event and entertainment event in the world, probably only rivaled by Taylor Swift.”
