This summer, over one million soccer fans came to the U.S. to watch a variety of club friendlies matches that were offered across the country. With games being played everywhere from Levi’s Stadium in California to Lincoln Financial Field in Pennsylvania, it was East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium that attracted the most fans to one single match.
On Saturday, Aug. 3, 82,154 came to MetLife Stadium to watch Barcelona take on Real Madrid. The match ended in a 2-1 victory for Barcelona, but perhaps the most important takeaway of the game is that MetLife Stadium is capable of handling high-caliber soccer events.
While this has already been proven by the Copa América matches that took place in June and July, the most recent soccer clash in East Rutherford only adds to the growing optimism for MetLife Stadium hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup final. The abundance of soccer matches that we have seen in the United States throughout the past few months has been to both grow the popularity of the sport in the country, but also prepare for the upcoming World Cup.
With the summer coming to an end and soccer matches in the U.S. concluding, it is clear that MetLife Stadium passed with flying colors, with several Copa América matches and the Real Madrid-Barcelona match drawing nearly sold-out crowds. The next step for the stadium’s future is preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, one of the biggest sporting events to come to the Meadowlands in the region’s history.