As the 2026 World Cup final is set to be played between Spain and Argentina at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium on Sunday, the state of New Jersey and FIFA are engaged in a turf war.
Earlier this week, FIFA announced that it would sell pieces of the grass field from MetLife Stadium’s World Cup competition for $450 each. The grass surface will be taken out of the stadium following the World Cup and artificial turf will be reinstalled before the NFL season for the New York Giants and New York Jets.
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However, the New Jersey’s governor’s office is objecting to FIFA profiting off the sale of pieces from MetLife Stadium’s World Cup pitch because state taxpayers funded payment for the field.
“FIFA needs to get off our turf, literally,” New Jersey State Assemblyman Michael Inganamort said on Friday. “FIFA can’t just sell off the soccer pitch without permission.”
The state of New Jersey and FIFA are at odds over selling pieces of the 2026 World Cup pitch from MetLife Stadium.
(CHARLY TRIBALLEAU via Getty Images)
The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority spent $13.04 million in taxpayer dollars to pay for MetLife Stadium’s field being up to FIFA’s standards for the World Cup. Those costs included “design work, field construction and pitch maintenance and service,” according to documents procured by NorthJersey.com.
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Yet FIFA could earn more than $11 million in revenue from selling pieces of the pitch in four price tiers limited to 2,026 pieces each.
In addition to the 12.5″ x 2.5″ x 2.5″ pieces encased in resin selling for $450, FIFA is also offering special editions available for $900 (“Stadium Edition”), $1,200 (“Legacy Edition”) and $3,000. The $3,000 “Hero Edition” includes a larger section of the field (3″ x 3″ x 3″), in addition to a gold-etched replica ticket and a crystal-cut glass trophy, according to Gothamist.
Through spokespersons, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is objecting to FIFA earning income from selling pieces of a field for which the state paid.
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“As the Governor has said, New Jersey paid multiple millions for the total expense for the pitch at MetLife Stadium, so New Jersey taxpayers should share in any proceeds,” spokesperson Steve Sigmund told The Athletic.
Inganamort said Gov. Sherrill needs to block the sale of MetLife’s grass, even if that requires seeking a restraining order in court.
However, FIFA maintains that the New York-New Jersey Host Committee shares responsibility for the sale of grass from MetLife Stadium. The two organizations say the sale only involves pieces from a 5-yard section of the overall pitch and that the host committee will earn the majority of income from the sale to be invested locally. FIFA says it will only receive a royalty fee of less than 5% of revenue.
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“To clarify, the turf sale initiative is a host city-led initiative, not a FIFA revenue driver as incorrectly reported in recent days,” a FIFA spokesperson told The Athletic’s Adam Crafton. “Claims that FIFA stands to generate $11 million in revenue are categorically false.”
