The FIFA World Cup 2026 New York/New Jersey host city is centred around East Rutherford, New Jersey, where matches will take place at MetLife Stadium. The wider metropolitan area includes New York City, northern New Jersey and surrounding urban regions connected through extensive transport infrastructure.

New York is the largest city in the United States and one of the world’s most internationally connected urban centres. More than 200 languages are spoken across New York City, making it one of the most linguistically diverse cities globally. The metropolitan area has been shaped by successive generations of migration from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, contributing to one of the most culturally diverse urban regions in the world.

New York operates less like a single city and more like a network of boroughs, neighbourhoods and surrounding urban centres connected through one of the largest public transport systems in the world. Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island each contain distinct social, cultural and political identities, while northern New Jersey forms part of the same wider metropolitan environment.

There are longstanding historical connections to migration, labour organising, LGBTQ+ activism, civil rights movements and international political organising. The city was the site of the 1969 Stonewall uprising in Greenwich Village, widely recognised as a defining moment in modern LGBTQ+ rights movements.

New York State and New Jersey generally provide some of the broadest legal protections in the United States in areas including anti-discrimination law, reproductive healthcare access and LGBTQ+ rights. At the same time, the metropolitan area continues to face major challenges relating to housing affordability, policing, economic inequality and pressure on migrant support systems.

Football culture across the region is shaped by large international communities and long-established supporter cultures linked to European, Latin American, African and Caribbean football. Major League Soccer clubs New York City FC and New York Red Bulls both operate within the metropolitan area, alongside extensive grassroots football networks across immigrant and community leagues.

Diversity, Inclusion and Social Context

New York maintains extensive community infrastructure across LGBTQ+ organisations, migrant rights groups, faith organisations, disability advocacy networks and Black cultural institutions. Organisations including The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center continue to play visible roles in community support, advocacy, healthcare access and cultural programming.

The city’s identity is closely connected to labour organising, anti-racism campaigns, HIV/AIDS activism, feminist organising, disability justice movements and queer liberation struggles.

New York contains some of the starkest wealth inequality in the United States, where extreme concentrations of wealth exist alongside housing insecurity, rising living costs and visible homelessness across the metropolitan area.

Public debate around policing, surveillance, migration, gentrification and access to public space remains highly visible across the city.

Demonstrations and political gatherings are a regular part of public life, particularly in Manhattan, Brooklyn and around university campuses and civic spaces.

Legal and Practical Information

New York State and New Jersey include sexual orientation and gender identity within statewide non-discrimination protections covering employment, housing and public accommodation. Hate crime legislation in both states also includes protections relating to sexual orientation and gender identity.

Abortion access and gender-affirming healthcare remain legal and protected under state law. Both states maintain broader civil rights and anti-discrimination frameworks.

Cannabis is legal for recreational use for adults over the age of 21 in both New York State and New Jersey, although public consumption remains restricted in many areas.

Firearm laws in New York and New Jersey are generally stricter than in many other US states. However, visitors are still likely to encounter visible policing and security presence across transport hubs, tourist areas and major events.

New York City identifies as a sanctuary city, although immigration enforcement and wider national political debates around migration continue to affect many communities across the metropolitan area.

The city also has extensive accessibility infrastructure linked to disability rights legislation and longstanding activism around inclusive public transport and public space access.

Transport, Safety and Fan Experience

The New York metropolitan area has one of the largest public transport systems in the United States, including subway, commuter rail, bus and regional rail networks. Unlike many US cities, large parts of New York operate around the clock, with late-night transport, food and nightlife widely available across multiple boroughs.

Unlike many US host cities, visitors can navigate large parts of New York and northern New Jersey without a car.

However, travel times across the region can still be significant due to population density, congestion and the scale of the metropolitan area. Access to MetLife Stadium will largely operate through regional rail and event transport systems from Manhattan and surrounding areas.

MetLife Stadium is one of the largest stadium venues in the United States and serves as home to both the New York Giants and New York Jets NFL teams, alongside major international sporting events and concerts.

More stadium information: https://www.metlifestadium.com/

New York has extensive experience hosting major international sporting events, concerts, protests, festivals and global media activity.

Neighbourhoods including Greenwich Village, Hell’s Kitchen, Harlem, Jackson Heights, Williamsburg and parts of Brooklyn and Queens are associated with nightlife, live music, immigrant food culture, arts spaces and community-led cultural activity that continues late into the night.

New York’s food culture is globally recognised and shaped by Jewish, Italian, Dominican, Puerto Rican, Chinese, West African, Middle Eastern, South Asian and Caribbean communities among many others.

As with other major cities, visitors should take standard precautions around crowded transport routes, nightlife districts and major tourist areas. Summer conditions are typically hot and humid, particularly within dense urban areas and underground transport systems.

Visitors should expect extensive security infrastructure across transport systems, tourist areas and major events, reflecting New York’s post-9/11 security environment.

Accessibility support is available at MetLife Stadium, including wheelchair-accessible seating, companion seating and accommodation assistance through venue services. Visitors with accessibility requirements are advised to review venue guidance in advance.

Community and Cultural Spaces

New York and northern New Jersey have a broad network of organisations, cultural institutions and community spaces connected to migration, racial justice, LGBTQ+ inclusion, disability advocacy, faith communities and public health.

Relevant spaces and organisations include:

• Stonewall National Monument and The Stonewall Inn, central to global LGBTQ+ rights history

• The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center in Manhattan

• FC Harlem, combining grassroots football with youth development and community organising in Harlem

• The Apollo Theater and Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture in Harlem

• Jackson Heights in Queens, one of the most multilingual neighbourhoods in the world and a major centre for South Asian and Latin American communities

• The Caribbean cultural communities and West Indian heritage spaces across Brooklyn, particularly around Flatbush and Crown Heights

• Supporters’ bars, grassroots football leagues and immigrant football communities across Queens, Brooklyn and northern New Jersey

Top 6 Things To Do When Visiting New York

• Central Park and Manhattan: Major public spaces connected to museums, theatres, public art and city landmarks.

• Stonewall National Monument and Greenwich Village: Historic areas connected to LGBTQ+ rights movements and nightlife culture.

• Harlem: A neighbourhood connected to Black cultural history, jazz, literature and civil rights organising.

• Brooklyn and Williamsburg: Areas known for music venues, independent businesses, arts spaces and nightlife.

• Jackson Heights, Queens: One of the most diverse neighbourhoods in the United States, known for multilingual communities and global food culture.

• The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: Historic sites connected to migration and the history of immigration to the United States.

Fixtures for New York/New Jersey Stadium FIFA World Cup 2026

MetLife Stadium will host eight matches during the FIFA World Cup 2026.

• June 13, 6:00 PM ET: Brazil vs. Morocco

• June 16, 3:00 PM ET: France vs. Senegal

• June 22, 8:00 PM ET: Norway vs. Senegal

• June 25, 4:00 PM ET: Ecuador vs. Germany

• June 27, 5:00 PM ET: Panama vs. England

• June 30, 5:00 PM ET: Round of 32 (1I vs. 3CDFGH)

• July 5, 4:00 PM ET: Quarterfinal (W76 vs. W78)

• July 19, 3:00 PM ET: Final