Your New York/New Jersey guide to the 2026 World Cup

New Jersey is used to disrespect. Whether it is the fake “joisey” accent, the jokes about Snooki and the Situation, or having both our professional (American) football teams labeled ‘New York,’ we’ve got a chip the size of the turnpike on our shoulders. And so when every mention of the World Cup coming to New York appears, you can hear a denizen of the Garden State screaming, “The Meadowlands! Not New York!”

And so, when visiting the insultingly named New York New Jersey Stadium, known at non-World Cup events as MetLife, just remember what state you are in, and know that the average citizens of New Jersey had nothing to do with the asinine traffic patterns, obscenely expensive snacks, or your team of choice getting shut out in group play. But we are responsible for the light bulb, Bruce Springsteen, professional baseball, and many other things that make life work living.

But of course, a benefit of being in New Jersey is proximity to New York City, and so if you’re coming in to watch the World Cup, you’ve got practically unlimited access to all that the City has to offer. And, if you’re flying in and won’t have a car, you will have an infinitely easier time getting around the Five Boroughs than you will in northern New Jersey.

Now, the downside of that is that by the time the World Cup games begin in mid-June, we are already in summer vacation season, and so you’ll be competing with not just soccer fans, but tourists of every stripe for all of your top destinations. But there are plenty of things you can do that are free or cheap that will give you the flavor of New York, even if you can’t get a ticket to Hamilton or a reservation at Rao’s.

The Staten Island Ferry is free and, on a nice day, provides a view and experience that is like no other. The Highline is a city park that lives on old elevated train tracks and features food, drink, and one of the more unique urban strolls you’ll ever take. You don’t need me to extoll the virtues of Central Park, but if you venture to the Outer Boroughs, Prospect Park is larger and just as lovely as Central Park is. Did you know every borough has a zoo or aquarium?

Brooklyn’s (the New York City Aquarium) is at Coney Island, where you can grab a Nathan’s Hot Dog, ride the Cyclone and, depending on the day, catch a Brooklyn Cyclones High-A baseball game right down the street from where Woody Guthrie lived. There are also many, many great museums in NYC, and most of them offer at least one time a week when admission is free. The Museum of the Modern Image is free on Thursdays from 2-6, and is a personal favorite.

While Broadway gets all the attention, live entertainment in New York is more than just the Great White Way. If you’re looking for something different, there are a number of fantastic jazz clubs that highlight some of the best talent in the world for a (relatively) affordable ticket, plus a couple of drinks. Start with the Village Vanguard, but a quick search will bring a number of fantastic clubs.

Similarly, the Comedy Cellar and the Bell House are two of NYC’s premier stand up comedy venues, but are just the tip of the iceberg. There are, of course, all sorts of venues for your live entertainment of choice, but don’t be afraid to go beyond the usual tourist areas or big names. This is true of every city on the planet, but it can be especially intimidating in New York just because of the sheer number of options. But for a low-cost and usually fantastic night of music, be sure to check out the staggering number of free concerts happening during the summer.

However, if you’re staying in New Jersey and want to explore, you’ve got lots of options as well, even if they aren’t as iconic as the Statue of Liberty or the Brooklyn Bridge. If you’re looking for some outdoor time, the New Jersey Botanical Gardens in Ringwood is a gorgeous spot surrounded by some of the best hiking in the area. The Jersey Shore is more than just trash TV, and a trip to Asbury Park is great for both the beach and the surrounding area, which has become a center for art and culture. The second largest waterfalls on the continent are the Paterson Great Falls, not far from historic Hinchcliffe Stadium, a former Negro Leagues ballpark with a fantastic museum, and just down the road from a statue of Paterson’s favorite son, Lou Costello.

Every visit to New Jersey needs a Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese on a bagel (with salt, pepper, and ketchup) from one of our many fantastic bagel stores, as well as a slice of pizza. New York gets all the hype, but Jersey has some of the best pizza and bagels in the world. We are also low-key a hot dog mecca, with Hiram’s, Rutt’s Hut, Johnny and Hanges, and Chris’s Red Hots among the best. If you find yourself near Hackensack or Jersey City, a trip to White Manna is a must for their world famous sliders.

As far as the food in MetLife goes, it is unclear which vendors will be open and/or if there will be new items. 2025 saw a re-commitment to offering better food at the stadium, but a lot of those items were specifically for the (American) football season. I would say that if you’re not expecting anything too different than the standard ballpark fare, MetLife has you covered.

However, if we’re talking about getting food or drink close to MetLife Stadium, it cannot be stated clearly enough that you will need a car or to hire a carshare service like Uber or Lyft. But there are a number of great options. Bolero Snort in Carlstadt has fantastic beer and seltzer, but due to New Jersey’s draconian laws about breweries and food, cannot serve food on the premises. But remember how I talked about great pizza? Most NJ breweries allow delivery and/or carry in food, and some even have food trucks on the premises.

Annabella’s House of Mozzarella in East Rutherford is a casual spot with some serious food, and just a stone’s throw from the games. If you’re looking for something a little more upscale before or after a game, Vesta Wood Fired Pizza and Segovia Meson are tough to beat for Italian or Mediterranean food, respectively. However, if you want to travel a little further, the Iron Bound in Newark contains a number of world class Spanish/Portuguese, and in this part of Jersey, there is a top notch Italian joint every half mile, many of which are affordable BYOB establishments.

As for the games themselves, MetLife is home to eight games over just over a month.

This will come as no surprise, but the tickets are not cheap. As of writing, the lowest ticket price for any of the Group Stage is just under $500 a seat for Norway vs Senegal, and the seats would be generously described as ‘up high.’ Most of the other games start around $1000 at the moment, per seat. The most affordable ticket for the final is currently north of $8200.

There is also a lot of controversy about the cost of transportation to and from the stadium. For starters, you cannot park at MetLife, and so you must find other ways to get to the matches. To travel from Penn Station to the Meadowlands usually costs $12.50. For the World Cup? $105. There will be limited parking at the American Dream Mall next door, starting at $225. The shuttle buses from nearby Clifton and drop you nearly a mile away from the stadium costs only $80.

And so, if all of that seems too rich for your blood, there are a number of options for watching the game that don’t require a second mortgage or selling an organ on the black market. Like most cities, New York has a bevy of great soccer bars. Soccer is easily the most watched sport in bodegas and pizza shops in the city, so you may not even need to find a soccer, or even sports, bar in order to watch the game. But the camaraderie of watching a game with other fans is intoxicating, so here are a few suggestions.

One of the best spots in the city, for soccer or otherwise, is the Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in Astoria. The spot offers great beer and, especially on match days, an electric atmosphere.

The Football Factory is a ‘soccer specific bar franchise that is completely dedicated to bringing the game of soccer to fans in the best bars in America.’ Their NYC headquarters is at Legends, located just down the road from Penn Station, and is home to over 30 supporters groups weekly. If you happen to be an Arsenal fan, O’Hanlon’s is a must, especially for the England/Panama match. If you’re a Liverpool fan, 11th Street Bar or Carragher’s is your spot.

Across the river on the Jersey side, you’ve got Mulligan’s in Hoboken, widely considered the best soccer bar in the area. Bloomfield’s Varitage Brew Works and Darby Road Pub in Scotch Plains also get good marks as spots to watch and grab a drink. Again, it won’t be hard to find bars showing the games in a pinch, but these are safe bets to hang with other fans.

Overall, the handling of the transportation situation has left a sour taste in the mouths of fans trying to get to World Cup matches. But if you find yourself in the area, there is plenty to do that would enhance your trip without being price-gouged within an inch of your life. And if you are going to the World Cup, please remember that everything good about your trip is because of New Jersey, but we are to be blamed for none of the bad.

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