More top-level international soccer is all but certain to be coming to MetLife Stadium.
The stadium was among the 14 American sites the United States Soccer Federation
proposed in its joint bid to host the 2031 FIFA Women’s World Cup.
The bid, which also includes Mexico, Costa Rica and Jamaica is all but certain to be
accepted as it was the only one submitted to FIFA to host the 2031 event.
FIFA is expected to formally confirm the bid – as well as a bid led by the United
Kingdom for 2035 – at its congress on April 30, 2026.
Final decisions on sites will not be made for several years, but it’s inconceivable that the
New Jersey-New York area would not serve as a host.
Giants Stadium hosted four games during the 1999 Women’s World Cup (including two
by the U.S. team). It did not host any matches when the event returned in 2023 (when it
had to be moved out of China just months before it began due to a SARS outbreak.
And while the 1999 event was a breakthrough moment for women’s soccer and
women’s sports, the event was not that big. Only 16 countries competed.
The 2031 event will feature 48 teams and is projected to draw 4.5 million fans and
generate about $4 billion in revenue. The 2027 event, to be held in Brazil, is projection
to generated more than $1 billion for the first time.
The 2031 proposal includes seven sites that are hosting matches in the 2026 FIFA
World Cup: Arlington, Texas (AT&T), Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz), East Rutherford, New
Jersey (MetLife), Houston (NRG), Inglewood, California (Sofi), Kansas City, Missouri
(Arrowhead), and Seattle (Lumen Field).
It also includes seven that are not hosting 2026 matches: Charlotte, North Carolina
(Bank of America), Denver (Empower Field), Minneapolis (U.S. Bank), Nashville,
Tennessee (Geodis Park), Orlando, Florida (Camping World), San Diego (Snapdragon)
and Washington, D.C. (proposed NFL venue on the RFK Stadium site).
Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia was one of 16 other sites that were listed as
possibilities to host matches in the U.S.
Mexico proposed four sites: Mexico City (Azteca), Guadalajara (Akron), Monterrey
(BBVA) and Torreón (Corona).
National stadiums in Kingston, Jamaica and San Jose, Costa Rica also were included.
MetLife Stadium has become a hotbed for international soccer.
In addition to landing eight games in the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup, including the
final, it also played host to the first FIFA Club World Cup (played during the summer)
and the COPA America tournament in the summer of 2024.
MetLife Stadium, as well as American Dream, proved it was more than up to the task of
handling transportation to the event and serving as a meeting place for fans.
