MetLife
Stadium to adjust seats in bid to host World Cup final
MetLife
Stadium officials plan to remove 1,740 seats to widen the field for World Cup
matches as they hope to host the 2026 final but will retain a narrower surface
for this year's Copa America.
The stadium
in suburban East Rutherford, New Jersey, is among the contenders for the final
of the expanded 48-nation, 104-game World Cup on July 19, 2026, along with
AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
"I
speak on behalf of New Jersey but also as our partner of New York City, do not
underestimate how aggressive we're prepared to be to get the best package of
games possible," New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said during a telephone
interview last fall.
FIFA has not
set a date for announcing the sites of specific games and could not provide
details on renovations at other stadiums, spokesman Lenny Santiago said. For
the 1994 tournament, FIFA announced sites of specific games in June 1992,
awarding the final to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
Heimo
Schirgi, who replaced Colin Smith as the World Cup's chief operating officer
last July, was not available for comment. Unlike the 1994 World Cup, FIFA is
running the 2026 tournament itself without a local organizing committee.
"The
few stadiums that require capital projects are handling each project
differently -- with some venues scheduling the work across multiple NFL
offseasons, while others plan to complete everything at once sometime between
now and spring 2026," FIFA said in a statement.
The highest
attendance for sports at MetLife, which opened in 2010, was 83,367 for a
Jets-Giants game in October, and the World Cup bid book estimated a capacity of
74,895. The current dimension for soccer matches is 70-by-115 yards (64-by-105
meters), spokeswoman Helen Strus said.
Strus said
construction will be in the corner and extend along the sidelines, though
field-level club areas will not be impacted. The removed seats will be in the
corners and will be replaced with seats in removable sections after the World
Cup. Murphy said who pays the cost of the construction was under negotiation.
"The
FIFA setback provisions really impact MetLife only at the corners. Other
stadiums have a much tougher nut where they have to set the entire perimeter
back," Murphy said. "FIFA wants a deal that works for them. New
Jersey and New York City -- remember our partners New York City -- we're
prepared clearly to put serious skin in the game. In fact, we have
already."
FIFA
requires a 75-by-115 yard (68-by-105 meter) field for World Cup games, although
that requirement was ignored by some venues during the 1994 tournament. Both
MetLife and AT&T will have to replace artificial turf with grass, along
with stadiums in Atlanta; Foxboro, Massachusetts; Houston; Inglewood,
California; Philadelphia; and Seattle.
MetLife's
narrower field was used for the 2016 Copa América final, won by Chile on
penalty kicks over Argentina, and will be used for three matches at this
summer's South American championship: Argentina-Chile and Uruguay-Bolívia group
stage games and a July 9 semifinal.
Murphy also
hopes UEFA will stage a European Champions League final at MetLife.
"We
would be able to sell 10 stadiums worth of tickets for the UEFA Champions
League final," he said. "We would welcome the opportunity, and I've
said many times I welcome the opportunity to host what we would call in the
States regular-season league games for any of the big European leagues at
MetLife, as well."
Joe Trahan,
a spokesman for the Dallas Cowboys, who run AT&T Stadium, declined comment
on dimensions and possible changes. He referred questions to FIFA and the
Dallas Sports Commission, which did not respond to emails seeking comment.
FIFA awarded
the 2026 tournament to the United States, Mexico and Canada in 2018 and
announced the 16 host cities in 2022.
All 11 U.S.
stadiums for the World Cup are the homes of NFL teams, which use playing fields
of 53.3-by-120 yards (49-by-110 meters).
Giants
Stadium, adjacent to where MetLife was built, hosted seven games in 1994,
including Bulgaria's quarterfinal upset of defending champion Germany and
Italy's semifinal win over Bulgaria. At the 1994 tournament, government
officials closed the Lincoln Tunnel to regular traffic to allow FIFA executives
faster access from Manhattan.
"I think we'll do the right thing by the VIPs who need to get transited," Murphy said. "We'll do it in a way which doesn't take it out of the hide of the regular customers, but we'll also do it in a way -- we're committed that to FIFA, that we'll move folks expeditiously and with the right level of care."