The Sherrill administration is ending plans to hold a 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Festival in Liberty State Park in Jersey City, replacing it with a community initiative that aims to bring more fan experiences to numerous locations throughout the state, eight people familiar with the situation confirmed to BINJE.
The plan, which will be revealed this morning in a joint announcement by the NY/NJ Host Committee and the N.J. Economic Development Authority, will include $5 million in grants from the EDA to help local communities prepare for activations, the sources said.
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The sources indicated the initiative will support various categories of engagement — major fan-zone experiences (think large-scale festivals) but also small- and mid-sized events (think community watch parties and street fairs).
The goal, the sources said, is to ensure that more communities (and more small businesses) throughout the state can be a part of a once-in-generation event that is expected to have a multi-billion-dollar economic impact on the state.
All sources requested anonymity because they are not authorized to publicly discuss the issue before the announcement later today.
The sources indicated the state is aiming to have a portal to apply for these grants open by the end of the month and then move quickly to distribute awards — a necessity since the event begins on June 11, or 113 days from today. The sources pointed to the ability of the EDA to quickly disburse funding during the pandemic as proof that it can be done in a timely fashion.
It is unclear how many grants will be awarded — and how frequently locations that receive grants will be expected to be in operation. The Fan Festival planned for Liberty State Park was scheduled to be open for all 39 days of the World Cup, concluding July 19, when the final is played at MetLife Stadium.
This much is certain: The state will aim to fund organizations that have a demonstrated history of being able to successfully produce community events. Even more, the sources said the state does not intend to necessarily dictate how the grant money is used, allowing the local organization to decide how it would be best served — whether that be for security, infrastructure, entertainment or whatever the most pressing need is determined to be.
The EDA is using $5 million of previously allocated funding for the grants, but the total available is expected to be higher, the sources indicated. There is a belief that sponsors of the Liberty State Park event will see value in moving those dollars to multiple local events. And there is a hope that having more events around the state will bring in more local dollars from companies perhaps not able to make the big-ticket spend the Liberty State Park event needed.
Potential locations for the larger fan zone locations are plentiful, especially in North Jersey, but each comes with challenges:
American Dream: It served as an unofficial FanFest site during the Club World Cup last summer — to rave reviews. But the 2026 World Cup will be exponentially larger. And there are questions about available parking, especially considering there will be no parking at MetLife Stadium. That being said, NJ Transit has proven it can quickly move people in and out of the Meadowlands.
Sports Illustrated Stadium: It is next to the Harrison PATH station, making it easier to get there. And, as the Red Bulls show on a regular basis, there is plenty of room in the lots around the arena for activation — as well as potential activation inside the stadium. The Red Bulls, however, already have plans to hold World Cup-type events. Whether it makes sense to create a greater relationship with the Host Committee remains to be seen.
Flag Cities: This is the most turnkey option. The initiative, already announced by the Meadowlands Chamber, has a sponsor (Goya), a producer (Axiom Communications) and has secured five sites in Hudson and Bergen counties. Organizers have said they were intending to have five events, one before each match played at MetLife Stadium, but the ability to scale up the number of activations (and sites) certainly is there.
Main streets across the state: Areas such as the Ironbound section of Newark, Morris Street in Elizabeth and many other ‘Main Street’ locations may be able to take advantage of these grants, too. That includes other areas of Jersey City. Local leaders, including the Statewide Hispanic Chamber, have been pushing for more options for small business for months.
The only thing for certain is that the planned event in Liberty State Park is off.
Liberty State Park, because of its incredible views of the New York City skyline and the Statue of Liberty, was viewed as the most logical location for a Fan Festival since MetLife Stadium was awarded the final on Feb. 4, 2024.
Last summer, then Gov. Phil Murphy, then first lady Tammy Murphy (who remains the chair of the NY/NJ Host Committee) and NY/NJ Host Committee CEO Alex Lasry said they expected up to 40,000 visitors a day to come to the site to watch games and hear concerts put on by Live Nation, which was hired to run the event.
The idea was to create a melting pot meeting point for fans from all over the world. And with ferry access from New York City, that was seemingly a possibility.
The Sherrill administration had increasing concerns about how many spectators would come and how accessible it would be to New Jerseyans – even those who lived in close proximity. In the end, it was decided that having more fan zones in more locations around the state would better serve the state’s residents, sources said.
