MetLife Stadium to remove seats for '26 World Cup

MetLife Stadium officials "plan to remove 1,740 seats to widen the field for World Cup matches as they hope to host the 2026 final," but will "retain a narrower surface for this year’s Copa América." Construction will be "in the corners and extend along the sidelines," though field-level club areas "will not be impacted." The removed seats "will be replaced with seats in removable sections" after the World Cup. N.J. Gov. Phil Murphy said "who pays the cost of the construction was under negotiation." The stadium is "among the contenders for the final," along with AT&T Stadium. Both MetLife and AT&T "will have to replace artificial turf with grass," along with stadiums in Atlanta; Foxboro, Mass.; Houston; Inglewood, Calif.; and Seattle. The World Cup bid estimated MetLife's capacity for the final at 74,895 (AP, 1/4).