The World Cup comes to the World’s Borough
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World Cup amenities and events will come to Queens in 2026. Flickr photo by Wally Gobetz
By Ryan Schwach
In less than a year, North American and New York City will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and Queens, arguably the epicenter of the “world’s game” in the United States, is looking for a piece of the action.
While no matches will be played in Queens, or in the five boroughs at all, for that matter, the World’s Borough will still have a chance to join in on the world’s largest sporting event.
“This is a massive opportunity for positive economic impact to millions of tourists and visitors,” said Queens Borough President Donovan Richards. “Opportunities for local businesses and organizations to get involved – watch parties, fan zones and promotional events, cultural showcases, exposure with international media and pop up community celebrations, are all great possibilities.”
On Tuesday, the BP and the Queens Borough Board heard the pitch from the committee that is managing all World Cup events in the New York/New Jersey area including the finals, which will be played at MetLife Stadium.
“What's happening next summer is a very, very big deal,” said Bruce Revman from the host committee. “It will be the biggest event, not just sporting event, biggest event to come to our region ever.”
In total, eight matches will be played at MetLife over the tournament’s 31 days, and the committee wants to keep the millions of visitors occupied for the duration of that time.
“We're hoping to attract a world audience to New York City, and we hope that they will get excited about exploring other parts of the city, other parts of our region,” said Revman.
For Queens, that will include a massive, ongoing watch party event at the Louis Armstrong Stadium at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center.
“We're going to take that over…so that this fan engagement doesn't look like anything we're doing in other boroughs,” said Revman. “We think it's going to be an epic experience.”
There will also be opportunities for local businesses and institutions to hold events of their own – locals can apply to host events beginning at the end of this year.
The host committee is also scouting locations for 26 mini-pitches that can be built for local use around New York/New Jersey, and it is likely some will be in Queens.
They are also looking for spots that national teams can use as home bases for practice and lodging.
Queens narrowly lost out on having a perfect spot.
“Our friends at NYCFC were about six months too late,” Revman said, referring to the ongoing construction of the MLS team’s Etihad Park, which will be finished in 2027. “They would have had a base camp.”
The World Cup begins on June 11, 2026.
