Metlife Stadium belongs to NJ. Why is it getting renamed for New York?

⚽ New Jersey gets second billing in the official stadium name during the World Cup

⚽ Gov. Phil Murphy: "We don't get this without New York"

⚽ Will New Jersey be overlooked in promotion of the game?

When the FIFA World Cup finals come to New Jersey in 2026 the game won't be played in an arena called MetLife Stadium.

FIFA revealed Sunday that MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford was awarded the finals of the 39-day tournament to be played on July 19, 2026.  Stadiums in Atlanta, Dallas, Foxboro, Massachusetts, Houston, Los Angeles, Kansas City, Miami, Philadelphia and Santa Clara, California will also host matches in the United States.

Per FIFA regulations which prohibit corporate sponsors used in stadium names, the venues will temporarily be renamed after their host. Lincoln Financial Field will become "Philadelphia Stadium." AT+T Stadium will be called "Dallas Stadium." MetLife Stadium, will be called "New York New Jersey Stadium."

Why does New Jersey get second billing in the name? It seems that it was always the plan.

"This was always the way the naming was presented way back from the bid back in 2017," a FIFA spokesman told New Jersey 101.5. "And this is also the way it was presented in all their official statements and on their website."

Second banana again?

The office of Gov. Phil Murphy did not respond to a request for comment about the naming order or if there is anything in FIFA's marketing that ensures New Jersey is not overlooked.

Murphy is a soccer aficionado who has pushed for 2026 World Cup games to be played at MetLife since his first term.

For years New Jerseyans have looked the other way as the NFL's Giants and Jets call "New York" home.  It was a sore spot for New Jerseyans to see coverage of the Super Bowl in 2014 and Wrestlemania in 2013 focus on images of Manhattan while playing in East Rutherford.

But it would appear the governor is OK with being second banana.

"We don't get this without Jersey but I will tell you emphatically we don't get this without New York City. This is a huge deal for the region, both sides of the Hudson. I could not be happier," Murphy said in a joint interview on Fox 5 New York's "Good Day New York" with Mayor Eric Adams.

"Let's be clear. New York, New Jersey we are family. And families squabble. But at the end of the day, we're family, we're going to be here for each other no matter what the outcome of any topics we go through," Adams said.

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