MetLife Stadium

MetLife Stadium is a multi-purpose, open-air stadium located in East Rutherford, Bergen County, within the Meadowlands Sports Complex. Situated approximately five miles (eight kilometers) west of New York City, the stadium anchors one of the most storied sports campuses in the northeastern United States. It opened in 2010, replacing Giants Stadium, and serves as the home for the New York Giants and New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). At an approximate cost of $1.6 billion, it was the most expensive stadium built in the United States at the time of its completion. Today, MetLife Stadium stands as a defining landmark of New Jersey's sports and entertainment landscape, drawing millions of visitors annually from across the tri-state area and beyond.

History and Construction

The story of MetLife Stadium begins with decades of shared use at its predecessor, Giants Stadium, which sat just yards from where the new facility would rise. In September 2005, both the Giants and Jets announced plans to collectively construct a new stadium in the Meadowlands, after nearly five years during which both teams had explored options for separate stadiums — the Jets on Manhattan's west side, and the Giants in New Jersey. After the Jets failed to get a new stadium built in Manhattan, they decided to team with the Giants to build a new stadium adjacent to Giants Stadium.

Construction of MetLife Stadium began on September 5, 2007, right next to the old Giants Stadium in the Meadowlands complex in New Jersey. The new stadium was built just about 20 meters from its predecessor, and the entire investment cost $1.6 billion — approximately $2.30 billion when adjusted to 2024 dollars — making it one of the most expensive sports venues in the world. Renowned architectural firms were responsible for the design, including 360 Architecture, EwingCole, Rockwell Group, and Bruce Mau Design, while engineering oversight was conducted by Thornton Tomasetti. Construction was managed under a design-build contract. Skanska constructed the stadium to accommodate the New York Giants and the New York Jets and seat 82,500 spectators, including 217 luxury suite boxes.

The stadium was completed ahead of schedule, opening its doors on April 10, 2010, several months before the NFL season began. The first event at the stadium was the Big City Classic lacrosse event, held on April 10, 2010. The Giants and Jets played their first NFL games at the stadium on the same weekend — the Giants on September 12, 2010, and the Jets on September 13, 2010. The facility was initially known as New Meadowlands Stadium before acquiring its current name. In August 2011, the stadium was renamed MetLife Stadium after the company purchased the naming rights to the facility for 25 years at a rate of $17 to $20 million a year.

It was the first facility built specifically to accommodate two U.S. National Football League (NFL) teams.

Design and Facilities

An open-air stadium, MetLife Stadium was heavily inspired by Giants Stadium and has a similar layout. The seating bowl accommodates 82,500 people, including 10,005 club seats and approximately 218 luxury suites, making it the largest NFL stadium in terms of total seating. It covers more than 2.1 million square feet and has approximately 28,000 parking spaces.

One of the stadium's most distinctive visual features is its exterior lighting system. The stadium can be lit up in different colors, similar in fashion to the Allianz Arena in Munich — when the Giants play, the exterior panels glow blue, and when the Jets play, they are lit up green. Ten giant HD-ready light emitting diode (LED) pylons, located at the north, south, east, and west entrances, display videos of the team currently in-house; the pylons measure approximately 54 feet (16 m) high by 20 feet (6.1 m) wide. Inside, four 30-by-116-foot HD video displays hang from each corner of the upper deck.

Unlike a number of other new NFL venues, MetLife Stadium does not have a roof, as proposals to include a roof failed over a dispute for funding, meaning indoor events such as the Final Four cannot be held at the facility.

The signature feature at the stadium is the Great Wall — a 400-by-40-foot high wall in the shape of a rectangle that displays murals of players and moments in team history outside the stadium.

MetLife Stadium has earned recognition for its security infrastructure. MetLife Stadium was the first NFL stadium to receive SAFETY Act certification by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security in 2013 and has ranked No. 1 for Safety by Security magazine's "Security 500" in the Spectator Sports Facility division for nine straight years.

Notable Events

Since opening, MetLife Stadium has hosted a remarkable array of marquee events across sports, entertainment, and civic life. It has hosted over 600 major events and 3,000 special events.

In American football, the stadium's most celebrated moment came when it hosted Super Bowl XLVIII on February 2, 2014 — the first Super Bowl ever played outdoors in a cold-weather city. Event highlights include the first outdoor, cold-weather Super Bowl XLVIII, WrestleMania 29 and 35, the Copa America Centenario Final, the 2021 Army-Navy Game, and many concerts, college football games, and international soccer matches.

On October 16, 2010, Rutgers hosted Army in the first college football game played in the new stadium, with the Scarlet Knights defeating the Black Knights in overtime, 23–20; during the game's second half, Rutgers player Eric LeGrand was injured on a special teams play and paralyzed from the neck down.

On December 11, 2021, MetLife Stadium hosted the 122nd Army–Navy Game, the first time the historic matchup was held at MetLife and the fifth time it was held in East Rutherford.

In professional wrestling, the first WrestleMania held at the stadium was in 2013 (WrestleMania 29) and attracted 80,676 spectators, making it the most profitable WWE event in history at that time; six years later, WrestleMania 35 brought in 82,265 fans, setting a new attendance and financial record with $16.9 million in revenue.

The stadium has also made history in ice hockey. MetLife Stadium hosted the 2024 NHL Stadium Series, marking the first time the stadium had ever hosted NHL hockey and the first time outdoor NHL hockey had ever been played in the state of New Jersey. The New Jersey Devils hosted the Philadelphia Flyers on February 17, 2024, with Devils captain Nico Hischier scoring the first NHL goal in MetLife Stadium history — on a breakaway just 32 seconds into the first period — en route to a 6–3 Devils victory before a crowd of 70,328 fans.

In religious gatherings, the stadium hosted the 12th Siyum HaShas on August 1, 2012; at 93,000 seats, it was the highest capacity crowd in the stadium's history due to on-field seating and a ticket sell-out.

MetLife Stadium has also hosted soccer games including matches at the Copa America Centenario in 2016, the 2024 Copa America, and a series of club and international friendlies. The stadium's association with soccer strengthened further when it was chosen as one of the twelve venues for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, including the final.

2026 FIFA World Cup

MetLife Stadium is set to take center stage on the global soccer scene in the coming years. MetLife Stadium is one of 16 venues, and one of the eleven American venues, that will host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. In February 2024, the stadium was announced as the host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Final. In addition to the final, the stadium will host five group stage matches, one Round of 32 match, and one Round of 16 match.

As per FIFA requirements, a grass field will be installed for the World Cup matches, and during the event the stadium will be temporarily known as "New York New Jersey Stadium" in accordance with FIFA's policy on corporate-sponsored names. The 2026 World Cup Final is expected to be one of the most-watched sporting events in history, with a global television audience in the billions.

Access and Transportation

MetLife Stadium is one of the nation's preeminent sports and entertainment venues, located in the midst of the country's largest media market. Reaching the stadium from across New Jersey and the broader metropolitan region is made possible through several transportation options.

MetLife Stadium is accessible by car via Exit 16W on the western spur of the New Jersey Turnpike (I-95) and is also located adjacent to NJ Route 3 and NJ Route 120. The closest airport is Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR), approximately 10 miles north via the New Jersey Turnpike.

For those using public transit, the Meadowlands Rail Line operates on event days between Meadowlands station and Hoboken Terminal via Secaucus Junction, where there is connecting service to Pennsylvania Station in New York City, Pennsylvania Station in Newark, and other New Jersey Transit rail operations; the line opened to the public on July 26, 2009. The travel time between the Secaucus Junction train station and the Sports Complex station is approximately ten minutes.

Coach USA also provides the 351 Meadowlands Express Bus service between MetLife Stadium and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.

Awards and Recognition

MetLife Stadium has been named "Highest Grossing Stadium of the Year" nine times by Billboard and "2017 Venue of the Year" by StadiumBusiness. In 2024, it was named Pollstar's "#1 U.S. Stadium for Ticket Gross and Tickets Sold," as well as Billboard's "Top Stadium Concert Venue on the East Coast."

Concerts by Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Billy Joel, Stevie Nicks, My Chemical Romance, and Zach Bryan have filled the stands to capacity, generating record-breaking revenues and establishing the stadium as a fixed stop on global concert tours. In 2009, MetLife Stadium was named the "Greenest Stadium" in the NFL by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and in July 2017, it was named "Venue of the Year" by the Stadium Business Summit.