Host committee outlines fan festivals, security and legacy plans for 2026 World Cup in New York–New Jersey

The New York–New Jersey 2026 World Cup host committee presented its local fan‑engagement plan to Queens officials, laying out a 39‑day series of events, a FIFA‑partnered festival at Liberty State Park, legacy mini pitches in underserved neighborhoods and coordinated security and transit planning.

Representing the host committee, Bruce Redmond, co‑host city manager, said the tournament runs Thursday, June 11 through Sunday, July 19 and that ‘‘we will have fan engagement … for all 39 days.’’ He told the meeting the committee plans a major FIFA fan festival at Liberty State Park ‘‘simply because we needed about a million square feet,’’ and that the committee has four organizing pillars: safety and security, mobility, fan engagement and legacy.

Why it matters: The region will host eight matches including the final. The host committee described an economic opportunity that it said will affect neighborhoods across the city and state, and urged local businesses and nonprofits to use a toolkit the committee is distributing to apply for licensing, sponsorship and official fan‑engagement opportunities.

The committee described practical rules for local viewing events and branding. Redmond warned that FIFA strictly protects its intellectual property and sponsor relationships and that local groups seeking to host public viewings will likely need an event license. ‘‘A license could be as simple as a $100. It could be as much as a thousand dollars,’’ he said. He added that the portal for event applications was not yet open and that ‘‘it will be open next month, fourth quarter.’’

On legacy, Redmond said the host committee plans to install 26 donor‑funded mini pitches in the region, each with a 10‑year warranty, fencing and lighting. He described the pitches as ‘‘about the size of a tennis court’’ and said the committee will work with the Department of Education, the US Soccer Foundation and local donors to site and fund them. He said installations are planned for spring, with some locations already matched to donors.

Queens officials and community members pushed the committee to make sure local neighborhoods benefit. An Astoria district manager urged the committee not to ‘‘leave us off the table,’’ noting Astoria’s restaurants, hotels and multilingual population and asking that at least 10 of the 26 mini pitches be sited in Queens. Phil Bauman, director of cultural affairs and tourism for the borough president, said the borough is developing a Queens‑centric marketing plan to link the 7 train corridor to fan‑engagement sites and local businesses.

Security and mobility planning are already underway, Redmond said. He said the committee has embedded staff from Arup and has been coordinating with NYPD, the New Jersey State Police and transit agencies, and that stadium matches will be held to Super Bowl‑level security standards. ‘‘You watch the match. You watch a football game. And what do you talk about? The three hours it took you to get home. That’s unacceptable,’’ he said, describing planning to avoid excessive post‑event delays.

Redmond said the host committee estimates ‘‘1 to 2,000,000 people coming to our region’’ and cited an economic impact figure, drawn from Tourism Economics, of about "$3,000,000,000 to the region.’’ He said the committee will run one large FIFA‑partnered activation at Liberty State Park and other borough‑level activations such as a projected takeover of Louis Armstrong Stadium and extended fan programming at the tennis center in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park.

Community organizations asked how to engage; Redmond said the committee responds to emails within 48 hours and that a public toolkit contains guidance on licensing, intellectual property, branding and event mechanics. He also warned that sponsor conflicts can lead to denied applications: he described a hypothetical application involving Nike and Adidas and said host and FIFA sponsors ‘‘are gonna be very protective of the money they’re investing.’’

Discussion only: No formal votes, contracts or funding commitments were made at the meeting. Committee staff described plans, timelines and application processes and solicited locations and local partners. Directions: Staff said the application portal and toolkit would be distributed electronically; community leaders were asked to send candidate sites and photos for mini‑pitch consideration. Decisions: None recorded.

Community members with parks or school sites were told to contact the host committee; the committee said it will coordinate site feasibility with Parks, the Department of Education and donors.

Looking ahead: the committee highlighted December 5 as the tournament draw date (when teams and base camps are assigned), encouraged organizations to register interest for tickets through FIFA’s ticket platform and urged local groups to consider whether they need an event license before hosting public viewings.

Quotes in this story come from meeting remarks by Bruce Redmond and other speakers identified at the meeting. No formal action or binding commitments were taken at the session.