The MetLife Stadium in New Jersey — officially the New York-New Jersey Stadium — is set to host the FIFA World Cup 2026 final on 19 July, but the venue is already drawing sharp criticism from some of football's biggest names.

The ground is best known as the home of the NFL's New York Giants and the New York Jets, and questions have been raised about whether an American football stadium is truly fit to stage the world's most prestigious football match.

Saliba's pitch concerns

France and Arsenal defender William Saliba was among the most prominent critics after his side defeated Senegal 3-1. Saliba described the pitch as