New York / New Jersey

Getting there

You do not drive to MetLife Stadium this summer. FIFA and the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority have confirmed there is no parking and no tailgating on-site for all eight World Cup matches. That is the first thing to know and it will blow some people's minds. Every fan arrives by transit or rideshare. Plan accordingly or be late.

Flying in: Three airports, all of them workable. Newark Liberty (EWR) is closest to MetLife and the best bet if the stadium is your priority. JFK is better for Queens-based fans and anyone staying in Manhattan. LaGuardia (LGA) is the small-domestic option and often the cheapest out of Dallas.

To the stadium: NJ Transit from New York Penn Station to Secaucus Junction, transfer to the Meadowlands rail line — round-trip rail is now $98 per person after a sponsorship subsidy cut the fare (it started at $150). NJ Transit is also building a new dedicated bus terminal at MetLife, scheduled to open before kickoff, with service advertised as "a bus every 30 seconds for four hours" — incredible if it works, the largest transit bottleneck in American sports history if it doesn't (bus round-trips run around $20). Rideshare will exist but will be expensive and slow on match days.

Base yourself smart: If you're here for one match, stay in Midtown Manhattan and grind through the commute. If you're here for three or more, seriously consider Jersey City or Hoboken — they're a PATH ride from Manhattan and a shorter trip to MetLife.

The fan zone

Liberty State Park was the original plan. It got cancelled in February (the $5M was redirected to community fan zones across New Jersey's 21 counties). What replaced it is actually more interesting: a split fan experience anchored by Fan Village at Rockefeller Center in Midtown (July 6–19, with a pitch laid over the Rink) and Fan Zone Queens at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center (June 11–27, broadcasting in a stadium setting). Rockefeller Center is the tourist-accessible, family-friendly version with big screens and walk-up energy right off the 47–50 Streets subway; Queens is the festival-scale one. There's also a Jersey Fan Hub at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, NJ, a PATH ride from Manhattan. All free.

Do them all if you have time. Rockefeller on an afternoon match, Queens on a night one. The 7 train is your friend in Queens.

Where to watch without tickets

• Football Factory at Legends (Midtown, 6 W. 33rd St) — Every supporters club in the city rotates through here. If your country has a chapter in NYC, this is where they're meeting. Get there early for any match involving England, Mexico, Argentina, or Italy. Loud, cramped, exactly what it's supposed to be.
• Smithfield Hall (Midtown, 138 W. 25th St) — The bigger, more spread-out option. Good for groups where not everyone is neck-deep in soccer.
• The Churchill Tavern (Gramercy, 45 E. 28th St) — English pub, Premier League crowd that becomes the England national team crowd during tournaments. Proper pints. Proper fish and chips.
• Banter (Williamsburg, 132 Havemeyer St) — The Brooklyn option. Less "soccer bar," more "bar that takes soccer seriously." Diverse, lively, and actually comfortable to sit in for a full match.
• Floyd NY (Brooklyn Heights) — Bocce court, draft beer, neighborhood vibe. Best for afternoon matches when you want the day off.
• The Banger Club (East Village) — Scottish-owned, Irish-adjacent, treats CONCACAF and European soccer equally seriously. Tartan Army HQ for any Scotland match.

Eat & drink

You're in New York. You can eat whatever cuisine the day's match is featuring — that's the play. Mexico-Canada? Birria tacos at Birria-Landia in Queens. Argentina-anybody? Empanadas and milanesa at Sabor a Argentina in Brooklyn. Morocco match day? Couscous and tagine at La Sirène or anywhere in Astoria's Middle Eastern corridor. Italy? You need no help from us; pick a neighborhood and walk.

Pre-match fuel if you're headed to MetLife: grab a slice at Joe's Pizza (any location) or something dense at Katz's Delicatessen on Houston before you take the train — there is nothing good to eat at the stadium and you are going to be hungry by halftime.

Things to do

• Between matches: The obvious — Central Park, MoMA, Times Square — is obvious for a reason. If you want something less touristy, ride the ferry to Governors Island, go early to Brooklyn Botanic Garden, or take the High Line into Chelsea Market.
• The Queens move: Match at Louis Armstrong Stadium fan zone, then Flushing Chinatown for dinner. New York's best Chinese food, and it's ten minutes from where you just were.
• If you brought kids: American Museum of Natural History, Top of the Rock, Staten Island Ferry for free Statue-of-Liberty views.
• If you didn't bring kids: A Broadway show on your off-day, a proper jazz set at the Village Vanguard, a late dinner in Koreatown that doesn't start until 10pm.

Match-day logistics at MetLife

The stadium is on the new "Dallas Stadium for FIFA purposes" pattern — MetLife is branded as "New York New Jersey Stadium" during the tournament, since MetLife isn't a FIFA sponsor. Don't confuse yourself looking for signs.

Clear bag policy (standard NFL: 12"×6"×12" clear bag or a small clutch). Cashless stadium. No parking, no tailgating — worth repeating. Get through security early; FIFA's security protocols are stricter than regular MetLife events and the lines will be longer than you expect.

The Final: July 19, an afternoon kickoff (reported at 3pm ET). Tickets were in the six-figures on the resale market through early April. If you have one, congratulations and don't miss your train.