Skanska has begun work to renovate MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, in preparation for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.
The U.S. arm of the Sweden-based developer and contractor started builing the home of the NFL’s New York Jets and New York Giants in 2010, and has returned over a decade later to upgrade the venue for one of humanity’s biggest international sporting events.
In 2026, MetLife Stadium will host eight matches in the FIFA World Cup tournament, including the final.
Project work will include demolishing four corners of existing seating at the stadium and installing a new modular steel composite seating system with related mechanical, electrical, audio visual and plumbing adjustments.
Skanska will also remove 1,740 permanent seats to expand the field’s dimensions for the World Cup matches, and replace those seats on the modular system to maintain the current NFL seat numbers and layout.
Construction will take place across two phases, to not interrupt other stadium activity and home team scheduling. Phase 1, which began in January, is projected for completion in May 2024. Phase 2 will take place across the same months in 2025.
New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority, which oversees MetLife Stadium, received $30 million in public funding for a World Cup renovation project in 2022, Sports Business Journal reported.
The total project cost was not disclosed.