10 intriguing things you didn’t know about 2026 World Cup final host MetLife Stadium

The biggest match in world football heads to MetLife Stadium this weekend as Spain face Argentina in the 2026 World Cup final.

La Roja are bidding to lift the trophy for the first time since 2010, while Lionel Scaloni's La Albiceleste are aiming to become the first nation since Brazil in 1962 to successfully defend the World Cup.

Ahead of the showpiece in New Jersey, here are ten fascinating facts about the stadium hosting football's biggest game.

10 things you didn't know about MetLife Stadium

1. It was once the world's most expensive stadium

When it opened in 2010, MetLife Stadium cost around $1.6 billion (£1.2 billion) to build, making it the most expensive stadium ever constructed at the time.

2. There's a reason it doesn't have a roof

Despite hosting the World Cup final, MetLife remains an open-air stadium. A retractable roof was ruled out because of the huge additional cost, engineering challenges posed by heavy winter snowfall and the stadium's joint ownership.

3. It has its own train station

For events attracting more than 50,000 spectators, NJ Transit operates dedicated rail services directly to the stadium from Secaucus Junction, with the journey taking around 10 minutes.

4. It's shared by two rivals

Like the San Siro in Milan, MetLife is home to two major teams in the same sport: the New York Giants and New York Jets, making it one of only two NFL stadiums shared by two franchises.

5. It's part of a unique New York sporting tradition

MetLife Stadium is the fifth venue in the New York metropolitan area to be home to multiple teams from the same major sports league. It follows the Polo Grounds (baseball's Giants and Yankees), the third Madison Square Garden (NHL's Rangers and Americans), Shea Stadium (which hosted both the Mets and Yankees, and later the Jets and Giants) and Giants Stadium, which was shared by the Giants and Jets from 1984 until MetLife replaced it in 2010.

6. The record crowd wasn't for sport

MetLife's highest-ever attendance is 93,000, set not by an NFL game or concert, but during the 2012 Siyum HaShas, a global Jewish celebration marking the completion of a seven-and-a-half-year cycle of Talmud study.

7. It normally doesn't have grass

The stadium usually uses artificial turf. For the World Cup, FIFA installed around 600 rolls of Bermuda grass grown in North Carolina, creating a temporary natural surface for the tournament.

8. The name is worth hundreds of millions

Insurance giant MetLife secured the stadium's naming rights in a 25-year agreement reportedly worth around $400 million, with the deal beginning in 2011.

9. Its grey appearance is deliberate

The neutral exterior was designed to represent both resident NFL teams equally. Architects drew inspiration from Manhattan's skyline to create a modern look without favouring either franchise.

10. It beat some famous rivals to host the final

Despite competition from SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles and the iconic Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, FIFA selected MetLife because of its transport links, event-hosting pedigree, global profile and location within the New York metropolitan area.