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When FIFA comes to New Jersey in 2026, MetLife Stadium will become the epicenter of the soccer world as host of the World Cup finals. Until then, some work needs to be done to ensure the stadium meets FIFA’s strict requirements.
East Rutherford Stadium, home of the New York Jets and New York Giants, will include a larger soccer field, different branding and a new admission process when tournament play begins in about 800 days, Stephen Sansonese said. He said that it is planned to be changed. , Senior Director of Facilities Operations and Events at MetLife Stadium.
Work to widen the field will be carried out in stages, as the current field set up for soccer is not large enough to meet FIFA’s requirements to host the final. Expansion work is underway on the east side this year, and the west side is scheduled to be expanded in the spring of 2025.
Sansonese said all rows 4 through 10 have been removed and are being rebuilt so they can be removed for the finals.
The first phase of work is expected to be completed by the second week of May.
Skanska Construction was hired to complete the work. The company built MetLife more than a decade ago and has first-hand knowledge of the stadium. Skanska, one of the world’s largest construction companies, is also working on the Portal Bridge project for the New Jersey Department of Transportation.
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MetLife Life Insurance also undergoes security adjustments
However, changes are not only visible inside the stadium. The approach will also change. Sansonese said security guards would likely be placed a considerable distance from the stadium’s various entrances.
He said security gates would be located near the outer ring of the stadium, beyond the first ring of parking, and then the entire space in those parking lots would become part of the stadium experience. I predict that it will.
Sansonese said those details are still being worked out with the New Jersey State Police and local law enforcement.
Another FIFA requirement is a neutral stadium policy. This means that the stadium name reflects the venue designation rather than the stadium name itself.
As such, Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass., becomes Boston Stadium, even though it is about 30 miles from the city, and MetLife plans to use New York Stadium during the tournament, even though the stadium is in New Jersey. New Jersey Stadium.
Sansonese said there are more than 1,000 named elements that need to be covered.
Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey State Legislature. Email: sobko@northjersey.com
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