While the next few months will see the Meadowlands become the epicenter of the FIFA World Cup – right down to hosting the tournament’s epic final – the arrival of the biggest event in the history of sports is already proving to be a boon for New Jersey.
Brazil’s Football Federation and the New York Red Bulls recently struck a deal for the club’s 80-acre facility in Morris Township to serve as the training base for the South American powerhouse for the duration of the tournament. The Brazilian national team, which is undoubtedly among the favorites to lift the trophy, will also take up residence at The Ridge in Basking Ridge. The location, said the federation in a prepared statement, will keep the squad within reach of their scheduled matches at MetLife Stadium and Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.
The Red Bulls facility broke ground at 101 Columbia Road in 2024. According to a report in the Florham Park Eagle from 2021, the facility sits on a site that was previously owned by Honeywell. A press release from the club said the complex includes locker rooms, a gym, dining hall, academic spaces, physiotherapy areas, and offices, as well as eight full-size outdoor pitches with complementary training areas. The facility is equipped with multi-angle tracking camera systems for analytics and the club’s senior team, alongside the second team, academy, and youth training programs, will also be hosted there.
Red Bulls sold the new facility’s naming rights to RWJBarnabas Health in 2025, but the complex will be renamed the Columbia Park Training Center for the duration of the tournament.
Brazil’s national team, known as the Canarinhos, won the World Cup the last time the tournament was hosted in the U.S. in 1994, which could prove to be a good omen. The team defeated Italy in a penalty shootout at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, after taking down the U.S., Netherlands, and Sweden in the knockout phase.
While seven matches were played at the former Giants Stadium in East Rutherford back then, all eyes will be looking at North Jersey this time around.
MetLife Stadium is set to host eight matches, including a Round of 32 and a Round of 16, in addition to the final match of the tournament. France’s Les Bleus, who nearly clinched the title in Doha, Qatar, will feature at MetLife alongside the national teams from Senegal, Norway, Morocco, Ecuador, Germany, Panama, England, and Brazil.
While each group stage match averages over 150 million views, FIFA also recently announced that Liberty State Park will be home to the tournament’s Fan Festival from June 11 to July 19, which is expected to attract millions of visitors and generate significant revenue for the city and the state.
