They hung this football “Jersey” on their legs.
European soccer fans may be interested in watching the host country, but they may not list MetLife among their favorite parts of the FIFA World Cup tour.
A recent study by ticket experts Seatpick ranked the Garden State stadium the third worst in WC when it comes to fan experience, coming in close behind NGR Stadium in Houston, Texas with Sofi Stadium in Inglewood, California coming in first.
To find out which US WC stadiums were the best and worst for fans, the online platform analyzed all 11 US venues across seven cost and “survival” metrics. This included prices for beer and water, hotel prices for temperature, crime rates and mosquito risk based on Orkin’s list of the top 50 mosquito hotspots from April 2024 to March 2025.
These venues are then given a final composite “fan experience” score out of ten based on their performance in each category.
“We looked at everything that determines whether a World Cup trip is fun or sad – not just ticket prices,” said Gilad Zilberman, Co-Founder of SeatPick. “The range in all these areas is amazing.”
Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium ranks worst when it comes to WC cheering, following fan experience scores Just 5.82 out of 10. They boast the highest number of mosquito hazards – 10 – and among the highest matchday fees, including $14 for a pint of beer, $7 for water, and the third highest hotel rates are $383 per night.
The runner-up was the NGL in Houston, TX, with a fan experience a-soccer-lyptic score of 5.96, recording a high rate of violent crime (1,148 incidents per 100,000) and an extreme “like” temperature (117°F).
This was followed in third place by MetLife, which will host the World Cup final on July 19. They received an overall score of just 6.32, based on their high luxury costs – incl. $13 for beer and $7 for water — and the second-most expensive hotel rates on the list dropped by $593 per night.
And football fans may want to bring their own bug repellent. MetLife scored 9.6 out of 10 for skeeter threats – the second highest in the rating.
Meanwhile, fans and players alike gave the 80,545-seat stadium the red card. Brazil midfielder Vinicius Junior and France midfielder Adrien Rabiot called the pitch hard, dry and slow – characteristics that made it difficult to move the ball.
One fan on X wrote, “MetLife Stadium aka NY NJ Stadium looks like crap. Not surprising considering the stadium is considered the worst in the NFL. Sad that the playoffs will be there.”
On the other end of the spectrum, Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts topped the fan experience rankings, earning an overall score of 8.08 for boasting one of the cheapest beers ($8.58), low mosquito activity (0.5), and other great features.
Coming in second in this prestigious competition was Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri (8.03), while Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia was third (7.87).
The latter area was the safest of all WC areas, recording 450 violent crimes per 100,000 people – less than half of Houston’s rate.
Here are 11 US World Cup destinations ranked in order of fan experience
- Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, MA (8.08)
- Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, MO (8.03)
- Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, GA (7.87)
- Lumen Field, Seattle, WA (7.54)
- Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, CA (7.48)
- Hard Rock Stadium, Miami Gardens, FL (7.35)
- AT&T Stadium, Arlington, TX (7.07)
- Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia, PA (6.44)
- MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, NJ (6.32)
- NRG Stadium, Houston, TX (5.96)
- SoFi Stadium, Inglewood, CA (5.82)
