Celebrate World Cup at MetLife with these fan events throughout NJ

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Can’t make a World Cup match at MetLife this year? There is still a chance to watch the games and share the special moment with your North Jersey community.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced that the state will spend $5 million to fund grants to be disbursed across 34 organizations that will host fan events for the World Cup, which begins in June. She said the grants will support small businesses and empower communities for this “once-in-a-generation opportunity to showcase New Jersey on the global stage.”

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Flag Cities, organized by the Meadowlands Chamber of Commerce, is a multi-day, multi-city event in North Jersey that received a portion of the funding from the state.

These specific neighborhoods will host Flag Cities events, which feature screenings of the matches, food trucks, outdoor activities and live musical performances. Here is what to know about the events before the World Cup begins.

What is Flag Cities?

Flag Cities events will take place in seven North Jersey municipalities to bring people together during specific World Cup matches. Sponsors include Hackensack Meridian Health and Goya.

Jersey City, Newark, Paterson, East Rutherford, Secaucus, Bayonne and Overpeck Park in Leonia will host Flag Cities events.

At each event, the live soccer matches will be broadcast on “massive LED screens.” Activities include youth clinics, soccer games and skills challenges with kids' zones spread out across the event. Adults can enjoy beer gardens with music from live DJs in each location.

Headline performances include rapper Soulja Boy in Newark and the Village People in Jersey City, according to multiple media reports.

The hosts strongly encourage participants to take public transportation or ride-sharing as parking will be limited. The Flag Cities website shows which NJ Transit routes accommodate each location. For example, for the Jersey City event, Flag Cities encourages routes such as PATH service to Grove Street Station, Hudson-Bergen Light Rail, NJ Transit bus routes serving downtown Jersey City and ferry service to Paulus Hook/Exchange Place.

Tickets are available on the Flag Cities website. Adult tickets cost $23.10 including fees, and a child ticket costs $12.05 for every event except Jersey City, which is currently free.

Food and merchandise vendors can register for the event on the Flag Cities website.

List of Flag Cities events

  • Jersey City, Columbus Drive: 5 to 11 p.m., June 12
  • Bergen County, Overpeck Park: June 14, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Secaucus, Laurel Hill Park: June 21, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Newark, Mulberry Commons: June 24, 4 to 9 p.m.
  • East Rutherford, Riggin Memorial Field: June 26, 5 to 11 p.m.
  • Bayonne, Stephen Gregg Park: June 28, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.
  • Paterson, Hinchliffe Stadium: July 3, TBD.

Other World Cup events in New Jersey

Several organizations received grants for World Cup fan events, including the North to Shore Festival and South Jersey World Cup Activations. They include:

  • AACCNJ World Cup Business Access and Economic Activation Initiative (July 17), sponsored by the African American Chamber of Commerce of New Jersey in Trenton.
  • The Battle of Basking Ridge Soccer Village & Viewing Party (June 13), sponsored by Somerset County in Bernards Township.
  • Watch party combined with Atlantic City Beach Fest (Latin Fest) (July 18 and19), sponsored by Visit Atlantic City in Atlantic City.
  • World Cup 2026 watch parties (June 19; June 24; June 28; July 15; July 19), sponsored by the borough of Fort Lee.
  • Downtown viewing event (July 19), sponsored by the Greater Asbury Park Chamber of Commerce in Asbury Park.
  • Freedom to Play: Inclusive World Cup soccer experience at the NAACP Juneteenth Freedom Experience (June 6), sponsored by the McCovic Foundation in Edison.
  • Game On! (June 12; July 12), sponsored by the Urban League of Union County in Elizabeth and Union.
  • Hackettstown street fair with World Cup celebration (July 19), sponsored by the Hackettstown Business Improvement District in Hackettstown.
  • The Halfway Point: Flemington's World Cup Celebration (June 19), sponsored by the Flemington Improvement District in Flemington.
  • Hoboken Arts and Music Festival (May 17; Sept. 27), sponsored by the city of Hoboken in Hoboken.
  • Hub City Fan Celebration 2026 (July 2), sponsored by the city of New Brunswick's Department of Human and Community Services in New Brunswick.
  • International Food and Dance Festival (July 12), sponsored by the Lackawanna Montclair Market LLC in Montclair.
  • Ivy Hill Soccer Fest 2026 (May 23; June 19 and 20; July 9 and 12), sponsored by the Ivy Hill Neighborhood Association in Newark.
  • Linden Welcomes the World: World Cup Activation Series (June 13 to 19), sponsored by the Uptown Linden Special Improvement District in Linden.
  • Maplewoodstock (July 11 and 12), sponsored by the Music & Arts Education Project Inc. in Maplewood.
  • Mount Holly World Cup Downtown Activation Series (June 19 and 20), sponsored by the Mount Holly UEZ in Mount Holly.
  • New Jersey Youth Mini World Cup 2026 – Trenton Host City Activation (June 20), sponsored by the United States Latino Affairs Initiatives in Trenton.
  • Ocean County World Cup Watch Parties (June 14 and 19; July 19), sponsored by the Ocean County Public Affairs Division of Business Development and Tourism in Little Egg Harbor Township, Jackson Township and Lakewood.
  • Passport to Paterson: A World Cup Experience (June 13; June 19; June 25; June 27; July 19), sponsored by the Andre Sayegh Civic Association in Paterson.
  • Red Bank World Cup Activation Series (June and July), sponsored by the borough of Red Bank in Red Bank.
  • Saturday Heights LIVE Watch Party (June 13), sponsored by HIP INC. in Haddon Heights.
  • Summer of Soccer & Science (June 6 to July 19; June 17; June 24; July 9), sponsored by Liberty Science Center in Jersey City.
  • Tri-County Fair 2026 (June 18 to 21), sponsored by the CARE Center of New Jersey in Rockaway.
  • Carteret World Cup Festival (June 11 to July 19), sponsored by the Carteret Business Partnership in Carteret.
  • Newark International Food Festival (July 18), sponsored by the Newark Alliance in Newark.
  • Union City Soccer Festival & Fan Celebration (June 13), sponsored by the city of Union City in collaboration with the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce in Union City.
  • Welcome World! Princeton’s Global Food Festival & World Cup Watch Parties 2026 (June 20; June 28; July 14), sponsored by Experience Princeton in Princeton.
  • The World on Central (July 10 and 11), sponsored by the city of Jersey City in Jersey City.
  • WorldCupGardenState.com Esports Tournament (June and July), sponsored by the Esports Innovation Center in Atlantic City, Glassboro and Newark.
  • World Cup on the Waterfront at Food Truck Tuesdays (June 9; June 23; July 14), sponsored by Main Street Burlington in Burlington.
  • World Cup Watch Party & Cultural Festival (June 27), sponsored by the Somerset County Business Partnership in Hillsborough.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: World Cup fan events in NJ include these options

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