Dan & I attended the FIFA World Cup match at MetLife Stadium (or “NY NJ Stadium”) on Monday, June 22 between Norway and Senegal. This post details our entire experience, from getting to the stadium, to food and drink, and finally, the match! Read if you are heading to a match at NY NJ Stadium or just curious!

We are heading to Philadelphia tonight for the Ivory Coast v. Curacao match tomorrow, so stay tuned for a post on that venue shortly!

HOW WE GOT WORLD CUP MATCH TICKETS

We purchased face value tickets directly from FIFA during one of its Thursday ticket releases in April 2026. If you are still looking for World Cup tickets, you can go through the FIFA app’s Resale/Exchange Marketplace to buy on the secondary market (all of which transactions on this app are backed by FIFA). Per the app, all other tickets are currently sold out. We sat in the 300 level of MetLife Stadium, which were the only tickets available when I purchased them. The views and experience were better than expected.

TICKETS TO THE WORLD CUP

Official tickets are only available through the FIFA 2026 Mobile Ticket App, which is free and which tickets you can add to a digital wallet (like Apple Wallet). The QR code for the tickets goes live 4 hours before kickoff. It says “the ticket is not yet ready” prior to that time.

GETTING TO METLIFE STADIUM

I wrote all about this here in great detail!  We took NJ Transit from Hoboken Terminal directly to MetLife Stadium. We purchased tickets a week in advance via the NJ Transit app and the whopping cost of $98 per round trip ticket (which usually costs $13 per person…). That was painful. That being said, the train was smooth and easy to use. I would do it again without a second thought.

An alternative to NJ Transit are $20 round trip school bus shuttles, which leave from 3 places in Manhattan and one place in Hackensack (New Jersey), traveling to and from the stadium. These $20 school buses sell out, so book here well in advance (the closest for our match booked over a week in advance). Our friends took this option and reported it was easy and well managed.

Private parking is also available at the American Dream Mall. I checked for the match today; it cost for $250 USD per car. These spots sell out, so book early.

Ride Share, such as Uber and Lyft, is yet another option I have read reports that this was incredibly difficult at the first two games, with people waiting up to 3 hours for a call after the match.

GETTING INTO METLIFE STADIUM

We arrived about 2.5 hours before kickoff. We first went through security, which consisted of a metal detector scan, the trashing of our empty plastic water bottles, and a look inside my tiny purse. After that, we scanned our tickets and entered the stadium! There was really no line here, probably because we arrived so early.

I would note that once inside, you cannot leave during FIFA matches.

BAG POLICY AT METLIFE STADIUM

MetLife Stadium has a strict bag policy during the World Cup (and otherwise). Bags must be clear (like plastic) or no larger than 6.5 inches x 4.5 inches. I got in with this told Tory Burch evening bag.

No worries if you bring a larger bag. A free bag “exchange” is located at the entrance to the stadium before going through security. The “exchange” is basically a mobile trailer where staff will hold your large bag until the end of the game. The stadium will give you a free plastic bag to carry your things into the stadium. I would point out however, it would be annoying to have to collect your things after the match.  Further, there are phone chargers that you can rent by the 30 minutes inside the stadium.

PRE-MATCH FIFA FAN ZONE & INSIDE THE STADIUM

The entirety of the stadium’s parking lot has been turned into an outdoor FIFA Fan Zone. The Fan Zone consisted of various sponsor tents, some giving away freebies, others offering experiences or photo ops, and many selling food and drink. There is also live music and dancing, as well as an official FIFA stand selling merch. The vibes were really high. I would have stayed longer to experience more of the Fan Zone, but it began raining. As such, we headed into the stadium after only about 30 minutes in the Fan Zone.

We went into the stadium about 2 hours before kickoff, mainly because we wanted to wander around and have some dinner and beers (and it was raining). 2 hours before, it was pretty empty. That changed about an hour before kickoff, when crowds poured and lines really picked up. I regretted not eating and shopping before the crowds came into the stadium!

THE MATCH: NORWAY V. SENEGAL

Warmups for the match began at 7:50 – 50 minutes before kickoff. During this time, announcers announced the players and provided information about the teams. Just before 8:00 PM, players formally took the field, the nations’ respective flags were laid out, and each national anthem was played. Kickoff happened immediately thereafter. I would not miss this ceremony – it was really beautiful.

After kickoff, we watched the game until FIFA instituted a 3 minute “hydration break” 22 minutes into each half. This broke up the match a bit, but didn’t really provide enough time to run out and “hydrate”.  That being said, fans at NY NJ Stadium can move from their seats to the food/drink/restroom area easily during the entirety of the game.

Intermission is 18 minutes long, at the 45 minute mark. Most everyone left the stands at this point and the restroom lines were LONG, as were food and beer lines. If you need to get up, I suggest going immediately at the 45 minute mark or even a minute in advance. You won’t regret this suggestion.

MERCH AT METLIFE STADIUM

Surprising to me, MetLife Stadium merch stands were not at all fancy and consisted of tables selling World Cup 2026 merch, FIFA merch, and general NY NJ Stadium FIFA game merch. I hardly saw anything specific to Norway or Senegal, which was disappointing. It seemed like a concert merch stand.

My recommendation is that if you want merch, buy it EARLY. Things sold out quickly, especially once the crowds came into the stadium from the Fan Zone.  Purchases are via credit card only and (cute) bags are offered for free.

FOOD & DRINK AT METLIFE STADIUM

The stadium and the Fan Zone offered numerous food and drink options. It was not difficult to find dinner or a beverage. For drinks, note that if you plan to drink alcohol, the drinking age is 21.  You need a valid US ID or, if you do not have a valid US ID, your physical foreign passport to prove your age. It is common to ID, or “card” everyone, even those who look well over 21. That being said, we did not get carded at the match.

For adult beverages, a few beers and a seltzer are the most common, but I also saw frozen margaritas, other hard drinks, and even a Guinness on draft! Non-alcoholic beverages are super easy to find, including soda, bottled water, and energy drinks. Costs are generally between $6 and $7 for non-alcoholic drinks and between $16 and $19 for beer or hard seltzer.

If you are a beer drinker, get a Michelob Ultra in one of the branded cups that feature the day’s match. These run out later in the game, and there is no extra charge for the cup!

In terms of food, there is food available in the Fan Zone and in the stadium, with more options offered in the stadium. Offerings spanned from traditional American stadium fare, to gluten free offerings, to Kosher offerings, to some local restaurants offering selections in the stadium.

We opted for hotdogs and Ranch chips from the famous Rutt’s Hut, which is located on the 300 level. These were pretty good, local (literally steps from MetLife and a real local tradition), and not terribly expensive.

RAIN AT THE WORLD CUP

Ugh, a lot of rain was expected for this match. No umbrellas are allowed inside the stadium. We brought these tiny disposable ponchos with us, which are my very favorite travel poncho due to size. Luckily for us, the rain largely stopped shortly after we arrived. As such, we stayed dry and were able to watch the match from our seats normally.

We did bring a small towel to dry our seats, and I suggest coming prepared if rain is expected. I did not see any ponchos on sale inside the stadium (but could have missed them), and the stadium is almost entirely uncovered. Per FIFA, matches take place in the rain unless it is accompanied by a storm, in which case the match must be paused (as happened in Philadelphia on the same night!).

GETTING OUT OF METLIFE STADIUM

We stayed until the very end of the match, and left as soon as it ended. We made the short walk to the NJ Transit train platform and boarded a train to Secaucus. While very crowded, we made onto a train pretty quickly, transferred to a train to Hoboken at Secaucus (a 25 minute wait), and made it back to Hoboken pretty easily, despite the rain. It took us 2 hours from leaving our seats to unlocking our apartment door. This included taking an Uber from Hoboken Station to our house. All in all, not too bad.