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Phil Murphy talks 2026 FIFA World Cup at NJ budget address
During his 2026 New Jersey budget address, Gov. Phil Murphy discussed the upcoming FIFA World Cup plans.
While most of the topics covered at the annual League of Municipalities address day-to-day New Jersey municipal concerns, one Nov. 20 panel was a little more global — it focused on the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The tournament, which will unfold early next summer, is set to hold its final at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
Alex Lasry, CEO of the World Cup regional host committee, was on hand alongside East Rutherford Mayor Jeffrey Lahullier to discuss preparations for the tournament and to encourage other North Jersey communities to get in on the action.
The draw for the World Cup will take place in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 5. That will trigger the next phase of planning.
That’s when all 48 teams find out where they will be playing their group stage matches — including specific venues and kickoff times.
“It allows us to take the next step in our planning phase,” Lasry said. “Right now we’ve been doing a lot getting ready and planning for kind of every and all scenarios having a good sense of when things will be, but the draw is when we find everything out and can really take the next step in planning.”
The host committee will announce its mobility and security plans and everything else needed to prepare locally and internationally on Dec. 5, Lasry said.
He said the tournament will resemble the NCAA tournament with a regional bracketing approach so teams don’t have to jet back and forth across time zones between matches.
It was unclear whether the immigration and border security initiatives of the Trump administration would affect the crowds trying to attend the tournament, but the president intends to be at the World Cup draw.
Trump has hosted FIFA President Gianni Infantino at his Mar-a-Lago Club and the White House. Infantino also attended Trump’s second inauguration.
The tournament is the biggest sporting event on the planet. Eight matches — including the final — will take place in East Rutherford over the course of 40 days in June and July.
It’s not just the matches that will draw crowds, either. Fan events are lined up for Rockefeller Center and various other locations in the city, but Liberty State Park will house the biggest fan festival of the tournament.
More than 100 matches, including the ones scheduled to be played at MetLife Stadium, will be broadcast live at the Jersey City park for fans to watch, along with entertainment presented by LiveNation, food and other cultural exhibits that represent the Garden State and New York City.
Lasry also said that the host committee is willing to work with municipalities and businesses to take advantage of the tourism opportunities the tournament will provide.
“When I say that millions of people are going to be coming to our region without the intention of going to a match is because what makes the World Cup so unique and so different,” he said. “People come from all over the world and they’ll say ‘I was at Liberty State Park. I was at the World Cup.’ That will be the awesome World Cup experience.”
Lasry said that fans will go wherever the tournament is happening to celebrate and be a part of it all because the “hope is to welcome the world to our region.”
Hosting the final is an opportunity but also a responsibility because when the international community thinks of the United States, they think of our region, he said.
The tournament isn’t just about the matches. Lasry spoke about the legacy it will leave behind.
“The hope for this World Cup is that 7,8,9,10 year olds are here and they see Mbappé, Ronaldo, Messi, Sala playing for the first time on our shores and saying, ‘I want to be a part of that,’” he said. “They feel the energy and the excitement and want to be on the pitch.”
And while the tournament isn’t until next year, promotion is well underway. The latest is a countdown ticker installed in Terminal A at Newark Liberty International Airport this week.
Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com
