FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
From Berk Communications
NYNJ Host Committee Highlights Community Impact After Engaging Tens of Thousands of Young People Across New York and New Jersey Through FIFA World Cup 2026™
More than 5,000 young people participated in clinics, Pitch Days, tournaments, community events and youth programming across New York and New Jersey
Established partnerships with organizations to create lasting soccer infrastructure, with more than a dozen mini pitch projects completed or in development, with more to come
Free fan experiences, expanded access to matches, community programming and soccer infrastructure establish a foundation for continued growth of the game across the region
NEW YORK NEW JERSEY — As the FIFA World Cup 2026™ concludes, the New York New Jersey Host Committee today highlighted the lasting investments, partnerships and community initiatives created through the tournament to expand access to soccer and ensure young people across the region share in the legacy of the tournament.
Over the past several years, the Host Committee has worked alongside state and local governments, youth soccer organizations, professional clubs, nonprofit partners, its Host City Supporters, and community leaders to bring the experience of the FIFA World Cup directly into neighborhoods across New York and New Jersey. These efforts have reached tens of thousands of young people across both New York and New Jersey.
Through free clinics and community events, new places to play, affordable and no-cost access to matches and fan experiences distributed throughout the region, these partnerships have helped remove barriers to participation and create more opportunities for young people to engage with the game.
“The greatest legacy of hosting the FIFA World Cup will be the next generation of players who pick up a soccer ball because of what they experienced this summer,” said Alex Lasry, CEO of the NYNJ Host Committee. “By expanding access to the game, investing in communities and bringing partners together across New York and New Jersey, we've created opportunities that will continue inspiring young people and strengthening soccer across our region for years to come.”
“The FIFA World Cup has brought people from all over the world together, and here in New York, we want to keep that energy going for children across the state,” said Governor Kathy Hochul. “That’s why I launched NY Kicks — to continue to bring kids and families together and give them another space to get offline, get outside and keep that joy for the sport with them for many, many years ahead.”
“Hosting the World Cup in New Jersey has been a tremendous honor. Up and down our state, we have seen our communities rally around this tournament. From our downtowns to our fan zones, people across New Jersey, from all different backgrounds, have joined in the festivities and taken part in this once-in-a-generation opportunity,” said Governor Mikie Sherrill. “Years from now, today's kids will remember that the World Cup Final was played right here in the Garden State. I hope this tournament sparks a lifelong love of the game, strengthens youth sports in every corner of our state, and inspires the next generation to dream big and work hard. That's a legacy that extends far beyond this tournament."
“We said from the beginning that the World Cup belongs to New Yorkers. This summer, we proved it,” said Mayor Zohran Mamdani. “In the most international city on earth, you didn’t need thousands of dollars to be part of the world’s game. A kid in Corona, a nurse in Bay Ridge and a small business owner in Little Haiti could all celebrate together — for free or at a price they could afford. That’s what we mean when we talk about a city for the many. This summer, strangers became neighbors on Open Streets and in free Fan Fests across the city because government made room for people to come together. And long after the confetti is swept away, New Yorkers will keep what we built: safer streets, faster buses, stronger protections, closer neighbors and the memory of a summer when the whole world felt at home here.”
Bringing the World Cup to Every Community
From the earliest stages of planning, the NYNJ Host Committee worked to ensure the FIFA World Cup reached far beyond New York New Jersey Stadium. Through partnerships with governments, schools, youth organizations, professional clubs and nonprofit organizations, the Host Committee focused on expanding opportunities for young people to experience and participate in the world’s largest sporting event.
A centerpiece of those efforts was the Skyline to Shoreline Road Tour, which brought the excitement of the FIFA World Cup directly into communities across New York and New Jersey in the months leading up to and throughout the tournament. Traveling to cities and neighborhoods throughout the region, the mobile fan experience featured youth soccer programming, games, giveaways, athlete ambassador appearances and opportunities for families to celebrate the World Cup close to home.
Since 2024, the Host Committee and its partners have engaged tens of thousands of youth through the following initiatives:
- Directly engaged more than 5,000 young people through clinics, Pitch Days, tournaments, community events and youth programming.
- Provided more than 2,000 New Yorkers and New Jerseyans with access to FIFA World Cup matches through free and affordable ticket initiatives.
- Hosted free official fan experiences across New Jersey and all five boroughs of New York City, ensuring communities throughout the region had opportunities to participate in the tournament.
- Delivered free youth soccer programming at official Host Committee fan destinations through partnerships with local organizations.
- Partnered on the installation of over a dozen community mini pitches, and counting, that will continue serving neighborhoods after the tournament concludes.
Additional programming included professional player and athlete ambassador meet-and-greets and opportunities for youth organizations to attend FIFA Club World Cup 2025 matches, international friendlies, and matches hosted by the region’s professional soccer clubs.
Expanding Access to the World Cup
All official Host Committee fan experiences were made free to attend and were distributed across New Jersey and all five boroughs of New York City, allowing residents to participate in the tournament close to home and without the cost of admission.
Each official fan destination incorporated youth soccer programming delivered by organizations with deep ties to the communities they serve. Programming partners included:
- Ironbound Soccer Club and the New York Red Bulls Academy at Jersey Fan Hub;
- South Bronx United in the Bronx;
- City in the Community in Queens;
- Because We Can on Staten Island; and
- Gotham FC and New York City FC at the official NYNJ World Cup 26™ & Telemundo Fan Village at Rockefeller Center.
By pairing free match viewing and fan programming with clinics, small-sided games and youth activities, the Host Committee created opportunities for young people to experience the tournament as active participants in their own communities.
The Host Committee also worked with New York Governor Kathy Hochul, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and corporate and nonprofit partners to expand access to FIFA World Cup matches. Through those partnerships, more than 2,000 New Yorkers and New Jerseyans received opportunities to attend matches at no cost or through affordable ticket programs. Ticket initiatives prioritized working families, young people, community organizations, first responders, military families, health care workers and residents who otherwise may not have had an opportunity to attend the tournament. These efforts reflected the Host Committee’s broader commitment to ensuring communities throughout the region could experience and participate in the FIFA World Cup.
Creating More Places to Play
The Host Committee, with the U.S. Soccer Foundation, and its Host City Supporters have also supported the development of new mini pitches and community soccer facilities throughout New York and New Jersey.
To date, 17 mini pitches have been completed or are under development in the following communities:
New Jersey
- Joseph H. Brensinger School – PS 17 (Jersey City) — NYNJ Host Committee X U.S. Soccer Foundation
- Harrison High School (Harrison) — Supported by PSE&G
- Memorial Park (Lodi) — Supported by PSE&G
- Municipal Building Park (Hamilton Township) — Supported by PSE&G
- Camden Street Elementary School (Newark) — Supported by PSE&G
- Hawkins Street Elementary School (Newark) — Supported by Johnson & Johnson
- Asbury Park High School (Asbury Park) — Supported by Hackensack Meridian Health
- Pulaski Park (Hackensack) — Supported by Hackensack Meridian Health
- Acacia Youth Center (Woodbridge) — Supported by Hackensack Meridian Health
- Florence Avenue Elementary School (Irvington) — Supported by Airbnb
- Cadwalader Park (Trenton) — Supported by Bristol Myers Squibb
- KIPP Academy Newark (Newark) — Supported by Onyx Equities
New York
- P.S. X463 (Bronx) — Supported by Related Companies/Bronx Terminal Market
- P.S. 112 (Bronx) — Supported by Airbnb
- P.S. 102 (Queens) — Supported by Airbnb
- M.S. 394 (Brooklyn) — Supported by Airbnb
- P.S. 40 (Staten Island) — Supported by Airbnb
The mini pitches are designed to provide safe, accessible and high-quality places for young people to play in communities where available dedicated soccer spaces may be limited.
The tournament also served as a catalyst for broader public investments and new initiatives intended to grow the game across New York.
New York State launched the $5 million NY Kicks: A World Cup Legacy Investment Fund to support the construction and improvement of soccer infrastructure in underserved communities across the state. An additional $1 million will support programming, equipment, uniforms, coaching and other operating needs to help communities maximize use of the new facilities.
In New York City, Mayor Mamdani launched Soccer Streets, transforming streets outside 50 public schools across all five boroughs into temporary soccer spaces and community events in the lead-up to the tournament.
The City also launched NYC Open Play, providing free overnight pickup soccer at one field in each borough during the tournament and expanding opportunities for residents to participate in the game at no cost.
Together, these initiatives represent a significant regional investment in both the physical infrastructure and community programming necessary to create more consistent and affordable opportunities to play.
A Regional Partnership to Grow the Game
The Host Committee’s youth and community engagement work was made possible through collaboration with organizations across New York and New Jersey, including:
- New Jersey Youth Soccer Association
- Eastern New York Youth Soccer Association
- Boys & Girls Clubs in New Jersey
- YMCA of Greater New York
- Ironbound Soccer Club
- City in the Community
- South Bronx United
- Street Soccer USA
- Special Olympics
- Because We Can
- Gotham FC
- New York Red Bulls
- New York City FC
- U.S. Soccer Foundation
- Soccer Forward Foundation
By investing in neighborhood infrastructure, supporting free programming, expanding access to matches and strengthening the organizations already serving local families, the FIFA World Cup has helped create new pathways for young people across New York and New Jersey to play, participate and see themselves in the future of soccer.