‘Horrific and dystopian’ World Cup final stadium slammed as American fans defend venue

MetLife Stadium will have the eyes of the world on it on July 19.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and perceptions could be vastly different depending on which side of the pond you’re from.

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The 82,500-capacity home of the NFL‘s New York Giants and Jets will be the jewel in the crown of the FIFA World Cup having been chosen to host the final.

Inside, fans will be treated to large concourses with a variety of options and aside from the prices, the facilities should have few complaints.

Getting there is a different matter.

While a huge arena surrounded by tens of thousands of car parking spaces is a common sight in the U.S., many international fans are used to walking to matches.

There are hotels withing walking distance of MetLife, but signs have been posted by the New Jersey State Police warning that it is ‘illegal’ and ‘dangerous.’

Some of the hundreds of thousands fans watching matches at the summer tournament will arrive by train or shuttle bus, but the rest will take cars or Ubers.

Photos of the warning and concrete jungle went viral in February, with the caption ‘genuinely horrific and dystopian.’

The comments were flooded with fans sharing similar experiences.

“I have suffered the MetLife many times,” wrote one. “I remember one night that was impossible to walk to the parking lot across the expressway because the walking bridge was completely blocked with people for almost two hours. That stadium is a huge mess.”

“My 2 pennies’ worth (largely irrelevant I know but, hey, that’s twitter) … was at the MetLife last summer for CWC and it is genuinely, surprisingly s***. A truly horrible experience,” another added after watching the Club World Cup. “I hope, but don’t expect, that some of the lessons from last summer have been learnt.”

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Much of the debate centered on Americans’ love of cars.

One responded said: “Y’all didn’t know New Jersey is designed for cars and not pedestrians since forever?”

“The European mind cannot comprehend this level of car centrism,” added another.

“What’s wrong? Everyone has a car, so there is no need for other infrastructure. That’s not Europe, where care is a luxury,” a third noted.

The U.S. is blessed with some of the world’s finest stadiums, but cultural differences will always rise up.

It’s what the World Cup is all about.

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What games is MetLife Stadium hosting at the FIFA World Cup?

MetLife Stadium will hold eight matches as part of a massive 32-team tournament.

They include five group stage games, in Groups C, E, I and L, plus a round-of-32 clash, last-16 fixture and the final.

It opened in 2010 at a cost of $1.6 billion and was part of New York’s failed bid for the 2012 Olympic Games, which went to London.

MetLife did host quarter-finals at both the 2011 and 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cups, plus the final of the historic Copa Amezrica Centenario in 2016.

Nine games at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup were held there, including both semi-finals and the final in a trial run for July.

Super Bowl XLVIII and WrestleMania 29 and 35 are among the highlights, while Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band and Taylor Swift hold the record number of shows with nine each.