How MetLife Stadium secured the World Cup final: Robert De Niro and 'big dreamers'
This article from The Athletic explains why MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, despite being ranked last among World Cup venues for aesthetics and transport, was chosen to host the 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina. The decision was driven by the appeal of the New York City market, favorable broadcast time slots for European and American audiences, and the influence of local boosters including Robert De Niro. The fiercest competition came from Dallas' AT&T Stadium, but FIFA ultimately favored the New York/New Jersey bid. The article details the selection process, including rumors of leaked information and the efforts of the Dallas host committee, and notes that Mexico's Azteca Stadium was never considered for the final as it was always slated for the U.S.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page itself is projected from evidence records.
- Current automated evidence projection