Thousands of soccer fans sat stuck in traffic for over three hours after Brazil played Morocco at MetLife Stadium on June 14. The venue is supposed to be the crown jewel of the 2026 FIFA World Cup’s US hosting duties.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and his appointed World Cup czar, Maya Handa, have projected calm despite the mess. New York officials have designated match days as Gridlock Alert Days, a bureaucratic acknowledgment that yes, getting anywhere near the stadium is going to be a nightmare.
A stadium-sized problem
MetLife Stadium sits in East Rutherford, New Jersey, technically outside New York City but marketed as part of the city’s World Cup experience. The venue is hosting multiple matches throughout the tournament, and the Brazil-Morocco game served as an early stress test.
Gridlock, insufficient train capacity, and rideshare limitations combined into a perfect storm. Fans reported delays exceeding three hours just to leave the venue, not counting the time it took to actually get home.
