How will NJ and NYC share costs for the 2026 FIFA World Cup? There's no contract

When FIFA announced that the final of the biggest sporting event on the planet would take place at MetLife Stadium during the 2026 World Cup, government officials on both sides of the Hudson River were quick to praise the joint effort.

Gov. Phil Murphy highlighted the collaborative efforts with New York City to bring the game to East Rutherford, and every official document connected to the region's bid for the final notes that the host city for the final is “New York/New Jersey.”

But since 2021, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority has shelled out more than $19 million for the host committee, contractors and engineers, according to information obtained through a public records request.

The request also found that there is still no contract between the NJSEA and New York that would require the costs to be split or provide for reimbursement.

The NJSEA and the city are the two government entities involved in the contractual process with FIFA. They are listed as the “New Jersey Host City Authority” and the “Host City Authority” respectively in the contract first signed in 2018 and in the addendum signed in 2022.

What has been spent?

The money that’s been spent includes $11.7 million for the beginning of the stadium renovations to meet FIFA requirements and a $7.5 million loan to the host committee with a maturity date of Dec. 31, 2026.

The authority previously received $30 million for work at the stadium. It agreed to a contract worth nearly $16 million for expansion of the stadium and $669,497 that has been paid to the stadium for reimbursement of costs related to design and preconstruction work.

The host committee is tasked with fundraising and presenting a world-class experience to residents and visitors alike and has said the matches in East Rutherford will “generate over $2 billion in economic impact and will support over 14,000 jobs.”

The day-to-day functionality at the sports complex is the responsibility of the NJSEA and its Board of Commissioners, though, and they’ve agreed to the host committee loan from their coffers and have paid the bill for construction companies and architects to get the stadium into shape.

Public records transparency: Free transit? No tax collection? We got NJ contract to host World Cup. Here's what it says

What will NYC's role be?

So where is New York in all of this?

Amaris Cockfield, a spokesperson for Mayor Eric Adams, did not respond to a request for comment but said last summer that "New York City has acknowledged its continued cooperation with NJSEA and the state of New Jersey in the shared commitment of hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup."

Brian Aberback, a spokesperson for the NJSEA, said in a statement that New Jersey and New York City teamed up to “ensure the largest sporting event in FIFA World Cup history would also be the most successful” and that both the city and the NJSEA have obligations to meet.

“NJSEA is working closely with New York City, MetLife Stadium, and the New York New Jersey Host Committee to ensure that the stadium meets FIFA specifications, provides large-scale fan engagement, ensures the best possible venue dressings, provides optimal public transportation options, and most importantly, ensures the safest possible tournament,” Aberback said. “To fulfill this vision for a world class experience, the Host Committee is working with New Jersey and New York City to raise the necessary funds and deliver economic return on investment.”

He previously said that in a resolution approved by the authority's board, New York "agreed to share equally with the NJSEA and the state of New Jersey in the overall costs incurred as part of the effort to fulfill the shared goal of hosting the FIFA World Cup 2026."

That resolution says the city will share "equally with New Jersey in overall costs ... which may include sharing in the responsibility for providing an initial source of funding" for the host committee by "contributing to any costs incurred by the NJSEA."

Work to bring some of the games during the 2026 FIFA World Cup to East Rutherford was underway for years. The effort began in 2017, after a delay caused by the infamous 2015 FIFA corruption case over the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and Qatar.

The costs, projected or actual, for the eight matches — including the final on July 19, 2026 — and all of the other fan experiences that come with hosting the World Cup have not been made public for this area, but other host cities have made that information public.

Toronto officials are now putting estimates to host six games at $380 million, up from the prior estimate of $300 million and well over the $45 million originally projected in 2018.

In addition to the money spent by the NJSEA, the state has paid $35 million for NJ Transit to develop designs for expanding its transit system to serve the venue.

Murphy has touted the economic benefits — which include revenues forecast to be in the billions of dollars — that hosting the final match in East Rutherford will bring to the region.

"I think the $2 billion impact is dramatically understated ... There's going to be none of this 'Hey, I'm just gonna go over to Jersey, watch the game and come back to New York City,'" the governor has said.

"You're going to have central and northern Jersey in particular — you're going to have people out in force at restaurants, bars, street fairs, fan fests — so that the impact on those communities as well as, frankly, I think all communities will be a very positive one."

Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: FIFA World Cup 2026: How will NJ and NYC share costs?