New Jersey to establish 34 watch parties, fan zones and street festivals across the state for FIFA World Cup

Thirty-four organizations across New Jersey are planning special events for fans and residents as the Garden State gears up to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill was in Camden County on Wednesday morning for a news conference with a "special statewide announcement" of the events in the N.J. World Cup Community Initiative.  

The Garden State is home to MetLife Stadium, which is being referred to as New York/New Jersey Stadium, and is hosting eight games for the soccer tournament, including the final in July. 

Across the river in Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field will host five group stage matches and one in the Round of 16.

The first events will take place in Camden County, with a pop-up event at a wine festival. For the Fourth of July World Cup final, there will also be a massive watch party in Pennsauken's Cooper River Park, where Wednesday's announcement took place.

"Hosting the World Cup is a once-in-a-generation opportunity for New Jersey," Sherrill said. "It's going to bring revenue to our small businesses and local vendors who can really see the economic impact. ... It's going to draw visitors from all around the world. It's going to bring communities together across our state. So we're going to make the most of it and host a world-class party for everyone."

The state and the New Jersey Economic Development Authority have awarded $5 million in grants to fund one-time events and long-term events showcasing local landmarks.

In North Jersey, major cities will "adopt" one World Cup match each, and hold festivals celebrating the cultures and food of each team's country.

4 FIFA World Cup teams using New Jersey as a home base

On Tuesday, Sherrill announced multiple World Cup teams would be practicing around New Jersey. Haiti will use Stockton University as a home base, while Morocco is using The Pingry School in Basking Ridge, Somerset County.

Senegal is training at Rutgers University in Piscataway, and Brazil is training at Columbia Park in Morris Township.

See the full list of FIFA World Cup fan events in New Jersey

There are three "regional, multi-day, multi-location events" associated with the 2026 FIFA World Cup in New Jersey.

• Flag Cities, led by the Meadowlands Regional Chamber & CVB, will host fan festivals between June 8 and July 16. Host cities include Newark, Paterson, Bayonne, East Rutherford, Hackensack, Jersey City and Secaucus.
• North to Shore Festival (June 13-July 16) will take place in Essex, Monmouth and Atlantic counties.
• Visit South Jersey World Cup Activations — Camden County (May 2-July 19) produced by Visit South Jersey, will take place in Camden County.

Here are the other single-location events that were awarded grants:

• AACCNJ World Cup Business Access & Economic Activation Initiative (July 17), African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey, Trenton
• The Battle of Basking Ridge Soccer Village & Viewing Party (June 13), County of Somerset, Bernards Township
• Watch Party Combined with Atlantic City Beach Fest (Latin Fest) (July 18–19), Visit Atlantic City, Atlantic City
• World Cup 2026 Watch Parties (June 19; June 24; June 28; July 15; July 19), Borough of Fort Lee, Fort Lee
• Downtown Viewing Event (July 19), Greater Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce, Asbury Park
• Freedom to Play: Inclusive World Cup Soccer Experience at The NAACP Juneteenth Freedom Experience (June 6), McCovic Foundation, Edison
• Game On! (June 12; July 12), Urban League of Union County, Elizabeth and Union
• Hackettstown Street Fair with World Cup Celebration (July 19), Hackettstown Business Improvement District, Hackettstown
• The Halfway Point: Flemington's World Cup Celebration (June 19), Flemington Improvement District, Flemington
• Hoboken Arts and Music Festival (May 17; September 27), City of Hoboken, Hoboken
• Hub City Fan Celebration 2026 (July 2), City of New Brunswick—The Department of Human and Community Services, New Brunswick
• International Food & Dance Festival (July 12), Lackawanna Montclair Market LLC, Montclair
• Ivy Hill Soccer Fest 2026 (May 23; June 19–20; July 9–12), Ivy Hill Neighborhood Association, Newark
• Linden Welcomes the World: World Cup Activation Series (June 13–19), Uptown Linden Special Improvement District, Linden
• Maplewoodstock (July 11–12), Music & Arts Education Project, Inc., Maplewood
• Mount Holly World Cup Downtown Activation Series (June 19-20), Mount Holly UEZ, Mount Holly
• New Jersey Youth Mini World Cup 2026 – Trenton Host City Activation (June 20), The United States Latino Affairs Initiatives, Trenton  
• Ocean County World Cup Watch Parties (June 14, 19; July 19), Ocean County Public Affairs Division of Business Development and Tourism, Little Egg Harbor Township, Jackson Township, and Lakewood
• Passport to Paterson: A World Cup Experience (June 13; June 19; June 25; June 27; July 19), Andre Sayegh Civic Association, Paterson
• Red Bank World Cup Activation Series (June–July), Borough of Red Bank, Red Bank
• Saturday Heights LIVE Watch Party (June 13), HIP INC., Haddon Heights
• Summer of Soccer & Science (June 6–July 19; June 17; June 24; July 9), Liberty Science Center, Jersey City
• Tri-County Fair 2026 (June 18–21), CARE Center of New Jersey, Rockaway
• Carteret World Cup Festival (June 11–July 19), Carteret Business Partnership, Carteret 
• Newark International Food Festival (July 18), Newark Alliance, Newark 
• Union City Soccer Festival & Fan Celebration (June 13), City of Union City in collaboration with the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, Union City
• Welcome World! Princeton's Global Food Festival & World Cup Watch Parties 2026 (June 20; June 28; July 14), Experience Princeton, Princeton
• The World on Central (July 10–11), City of Jersey City, Jersey City
• WorldCupGardenState.com Esports Tournament (June–July), Esports Innovation Center, Atlantic City, Glassboro, Newark
• World Cup on the Waterfront at Food Truck Tuesdays (June 9; June 23; July 14), Main Street Burlington, Burlington
• World Cup Watch Party & Cultural Festival (June 27), Somerset County Business Partnership, Hillsborough