By John Coyle
With Metlife Stadium, now temporarily called New York New Jersey Stadium, becoming a FIFA 2026 World Cup venue, many people working and living in surrounding neighborhoods have been affected considerably, some positively, others negatively.
Already, the popular Stadium, which was opened on April 10, 2010 and has 82,500 chas hosted the France versus Senegal match and the Brazil versus Morocco clash. France defeated Senegal 3-1 while Brazil and Morocco drew 1-1 at the Stadium which is the home of American football greats, New York Giants and New York Jets.
The iconic stadium will still host Norway versus Senegal on Monday, June 22, 2026 and Ecuador versus Germany on Thursday, June 25, 2026 as well as some other major matches leading up to the historic final match of the tournament on July 19, 2026.
Next door, American Dream Mall employees have been affected by new regulations and often booms in business on gamedays. Commutes have been ruptured with some employees saying that Uber prices have risen from $7-$10 to $30-$100 on game days, and that they now have to plan to leave for work two to three hours in advance, and are also now required to wear identification badges.
The most common complaints from employees and residents of surrounding towns, however, is in regards to transit.
“When games are at Metlife, an automatic 30 minutes of sitting in traffic is added to the commute, even before the World Cup,” said a homeowner from Garfield, New Jersey that would often drive his brother to work at the American Dream Mall.
The resident, who chose to remain anonymous, further said that “more ways to get into Metlife should have been constructed long before the games, and we are seeing the effect of not doing so now.”
Residents have been strongly advised to avoid Route 3 outside of Metlife on matchdays due to the heavy congestion on commuters, ticketholders, and others trying to enjoy FIFA watch parties. Local town watch party spots have popped up all around Metlife for people to watch the matches and have a great time. One of these is a big screen erected within the American Dream Mall.
Employees and security personnel that were interviewed within the Mall all stated that match days are not all that bad. There have been little trouble and the influx of customers has been about the same. The only complaints revolved around public transit takers to work who are dealing with major price spikes. One employee spoke of how they used to Uber to work for a fee around $10, but that on gamedays like Saturday June 13, prices shot up to anywhere from $30 to $100. There were also mixed reviews about NJ Transit. Some accounts said that they were disorganized, and contributing to worsening the congestion, while others said that buses were riding fine and even letting non-ticketholders utilize services.
Though there were largely many mixed reviews, majority of employees do not look forward to working on matchdays because of congestion fears. Still, many are excited to be present and nearby the stadium while the World Cup is local. To most, it is a once in a lifetime opportunity to be in proximity to the World Cup and the soccer stars, and with the final game taking place in Metlife, many are both surprised and excited that they will be so close to such an important and popular sporting event.
The upcoming week that has three scheduled games at New York New Jersey Stadium should be very telling of how East Rutherford is able to handle a large influx of tourists, and soccer fans trooping in to watch the big games. “Next week we have three games, and I am working,” said an American Dream Mall employee that pleaded anonymity. “I am very, very nervous, but also really excited to be around such an exciting atmosphere!”
