MetLife Stadium Plans to Remove Nearly 2,000 Seats to Widen Field for 2026 World Cup

The home of the New York Jets and New York Giants will look different when the FIFA World Cup comes to North America in 2026.

As part of a bid to host the World Cup final, stadium officials will widen the field with the removal of 1,740 seats, according to the Associated Press.

FIFA regulations require World Cup playing surfaces to measure approximately 115 yards and 75 yards across, while NFL playing surfaces are 53.3 yards wide.

To make up the disparity, seats will be removed from the corners of the stadium and replaced with movable sections after the tournament, MetLife spokeswoman Helen Strus told the AP.

The stadium plans to retain the 53.3-yard wide field for use during the July semifinals of the Copa América.

The upcoming change could help MetLife win its bid to be the host of the 2026 World Cup Final.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy said in October the final decision as to the final's host was split between MetLife and AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas.

SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles, California was originally in the running to host the final but reportedly lost out because of the stadium's capacity of approximately 70,000.

FIFA's official bid book projected that hosts would need a capacity of at least 74,000 for World Cup games, and MetLife can host one of the NFL's biggest crowds with a capacity of 82,500.

Both AT&T and MetLife will additionally need to replace their turf fields with grass, according to the AP.

MetLife in February projected that World Cup renovations to the stadium would cost a total of over $14 million, according to NJ.com's Ted Sherman.