England's Stars to Take on Panama at the 'Cursed' £1.7 Billion MetLife Stadium, Home to 79,000 Fans, in World Cup 2026 Showdown!

THE METLIFE STADIUM will join some of the most iconic football stadiums on the planet by staging the biggest match of all.

Wembley, the Azteca, the Maracana and the Bernabeu have all hosted the World Cup final.

The MetLife Stadium will host the World Cup final Credit: Getty Taylor Swift has performed to a packed-out MetLife many times Credit: Getty There is a mix of traditional steel and modern sleek in the architecture Credit: Getty Images

And on July 19 2026, the MetLife will join the exclusive list when the winning captain – hopefully – will lift the famous gold trophy.

Before that, the England striker will lead his team out for their final Group L game.

The on June 27.

And that means we’ll hear plenty of debate over whether to reference New York or New Jersey.

The MetLife Stadium’s address is technically in the borough of East Rutherford in the north-eastern part of the state of New Jersey.

And although the stadium is about eight miles north of Newark, New Jersey’s biggest city, it is actually closer to New York.

Times Square in Manhattan is just six miles east of the MetLife.

And to make it extra confusing, Fifa have gone with New York New Jersey as the host city – and the MetLife will be known as the New York New Jersey Stadium for the duration of the for sponsorship reasons.

For most visitors and fans, they will no doubt make the journey to the ground from New York City.

The Big Apple is one of the biggest cities in the world – and one of the most visited.

It is both as a tourist hotspot, thanks to its long list of famous landmarks, and as a connecting city with two major international airports, plus Newark across the state border.

New Yorkers love their sport, too.

There are two NFL teams (Giants and Jets), two NBA basketball teams (Knicks and Nets), two MLB baseball teams (Yankees and Mets) and three NHL ice hockey teams (Rangers, Islanders and Devils).

The fans are a passionate bunch, not afraid to boo (even their own players) and create a very hostile environment, as the European Ryder Cup team discovered last year at Bethpage.

And there is football – or soccer – too, with the New York Red Bulls and New York City FC.

East Rutherford in particular has World Cup history because the MetLife’s predecessor, the Giants Stadium, staged seven matches during the 1994 World Cup in the USA.

Times Square is approximately six miles to the east of the stadium Credit: Getty Fans in the top rows can enjoy the stunning views of New York City Credit: Getty The Giants Stadium was used for the 1994 World Cup Credit: Getty

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THE STADIUM

The Giants Stadium was the home of the New York Giants from 1976 until it closed in 2009, with the Jets also using it as their primary stadium from 1984.

However, it was knocked down and replaced by the MetLife, which officially opened in 2010 – costing $1.6 billion at the time – now $2.31bn in today’s money (£1.7bn).

Its 82,500 seats make it the biggest permanent capacity of any NFL stadium – the AT&T Stadium in Dallas can go to as much as 94,000 seats, though.

But for the World Cup, the – with Fifa stating its capacity as 78,576.

The Giants and Jets are equal partners and therefore the design tried to reflect both franchises – the former wanted a traditional exposed steel framework and rustic stone while the latter preferred a modern metal and glass sleeker stadium.

What they got was a bit of both plus lights that glow in the colours of whichever team is playing.

Interestingly, spats over a roof (and funding it) mean there isn’t one – so there is no way of covering the field or using the MetLife for indoor events.

Instead there are 1,350 solar panels above the top tier to create renewable energy.

The artificial pitch will be covered by a grass field for the tournament Credit: Getty There is no retractable roof over the arena Credit: Getty

As well as the Giants, the Jets and the 2014 Super Bowl, there is no shortage of other big names who have played at the massive stadium: Bon Jovi, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Taylor Swift, Beyonce, One Direction, Eminem, Rihanna, Coldplay, Paul McCartney, Ed Sheeran, Rolling Stones, Elton John, Lady Gaga and Oasis.

But it has football connections, too, having been used for the Club World Cup last summer, including the final as Chelsea beat PSG to be crowned world champions.

However, like with many of this year’s World Cup stadiums, and expanded the field to meet Fifa requirements.

The two-day project required 27 trucks to transport the giant grass slabs 12 hours from North Carolina.

The design took into consideration both the Giants’ and the Jets’ wishes Credit: Getty Oasis also visited East Rutherford on their comeback tour Credit: Getty The new grass pitch has been laid at the MetLife Credit: Reuters Workers operated long hours to get the turf ready Credit: Reuters

ENGLAND GAMES

England vs Panama is the fifth of eight World Cup games being played at the MetLife – and the last in the group stages.

Thankfully, it , meaning Three Lions followers can stick in the north-east area between the two games.

The New York New Jersey venue’s first match sees five-time winners Brazil face Morocco on June 13.

France vs Senegal (June 16), Norway vs Senegal (June 22) and Ecuador vs Germany (June 27) all take place there, too.

And then there will be one round of 32 game – featuring France if they win their group – and one round of 16 clash – possibly Brazil – .

It is not yet clear exactly where in the MetLife the fans will be seated for the 5pm local time kick-off against Panama – but most likely those who bought tickets through the official supporters group are going to be behind one of the goals.

England fans will cheer on the Three Lions against Panama… and maybe in the final Credit: Getty Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup trophy at the MetLife Credit: Getty It will fit 78,576 fans inside, making it the biggest 2026 World Cup venue Credit: Getty

WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT

Yes, the MetLife is a super impressive piece of architecture and engineering with 31 MILES of aluminium slats making up the exterior.

Yes, it has the shortest distance from the sideline to the edge of the pitch (14 metres) on the 50-yard line in the entire NFL.

Yes, it has stunning views over the top of the stand across the iconic Manhattan skyline.

Yes, it is built on actual marshland and therefore sits on top of 3,500 steel piles driven 100 feet into the ground to prevent it from sinking into the swamp.

But it is impossible to ignore the elephant in the room. And a very big, very dangerous, very worrying elephant, too.

The MetLife has the unwanted nickname of the ‘ACL Cemetery’ due to the ‘curse’ that has struck down plenty of NFL stars over the years.

A whole host of big names have suffered horrific, career-threatening ACL injuries on the MetLife pitch.

That includes New York Giants ace Malik Nabers last season plus San Francisco 49ers pair Nick Bosa and Solomon Thomas in the very same game in 2020.

The MetLife has earned an unwanted reputation as a graveyard for ACLs Credit: Getty Aaron Rodgers suffered a horror injury there Credit: Reuters

It is not just ACLs, though, with Odell Beckham Jr breaking his ankle before both Jaelan Phillips and Aaron Rodgers snapped their Achilles.

The world’s best footballers will be sweating when they take to the field.

But they will be reassured by the fact that they are playing on grass, albeit newly-laid grass, and not the artificial surface.

Snaps have emerged of the new turf being rolled out last month as the final preparations for the tournament were made.

The new turf was rolled out last month Credit: X/@N12TKrosnowski The biggest names will be hoping for more luck on the newly-laid grass Credit: X/@N12TKrosnowski

MATCHDAY EXPERIENCE

It might not just be the players sweating about their trips to the New Jersey, though.

Summer heatwave temperatures in the area can push into the low-to-mid 30s with fairly high humidity level, making it pretty warm – especially sat in the baking sun with no roof shade.

But that also means there is no roof to shelter from the – so fans would be wise to remember to pack a waterproof, especially for that 5pm kick-off between England and Panama.

The MetLife is used to big crowds – and has the transport infrastructure in place to cope.

Fans heading to the venue from Manhattan came use the Meadowlands Rail Line train or the Meadowlands Express bus, while a specific service for Fifa ticket holders may well get put on as well.

Want to beat the crowds, though? Well, we’ve got the answer.

Head over to Meadowlands early or stick around afterwards and check out the American Dream shopping mall complete with its very own theme park, water park and indoor ski slope.

What’s not to love?