The ‘Hideous’ World Cup final that ruined Aaron Rodgers’ career and is FIFA’s biggest test in the USA.
The biggest test of the 2026 World Cup is yet to come.
Instead of saving the best for last, FIFA decided a long time ago to end the greatest tournament in the history of sports inside the worst stadium in this historic world cup.
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The NFL star was never the same after the MetLife injury
The good news is that Lionel Messi, Lamine Yamal, Argentina and Spain will fight for the gold cup on real grass, thanks to FIFA’s insistence that all World Cup stadiums be equipped with a proper playing surface.
But despite being state-of-the-art and costing $1.6 billion to build, New York New Jersey Stadium — better known as MetLife Stadium to NFL fans of the New York Giants and Jets — is in a grim location and steeped in history.
Remember when Aaron Rodgers proudly carried the American flag … then only played four games as the Jets’ new quarterback before tearing his Achilles?
That terrifying display took place at the same stadium that will now decide the final of the 2026 World Cup.
“I thought it was a terrible thing to go to MetLife,” said talkSPORT presenter Simon Jordan.
“It was a bad experience and not something I would like to repeat.
“Obviously, the World Cup in Qatar had a different intensity, so it is not fair to compare it with that.
“Walking through the MetLife step and getting out of that, and taking the better part of an hour to get out of the place was annoying.”
The final World Cup stadium is a logistical nightmare
After covering many NFL games inside MetLife, I couldn’t agree more with Jordan.
It’s lifeless, common and impossible to reach without much frustration in both New Jersey and New York.
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The fact that what FIFA temporarily calls the ‘New York New Jersey Stadium’ is actually built in a swamp near the river, and is nine kilometers from downtown Manhattan, proves how inappropriate MetLife is for Argentina vs Spain and Messi vs Yamal.
AT&T Stadium (Dallas), SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles), Arrowhead Stadium (Kansas City) and Azteca Stadium (Mexico) would all be 100 percent better than an NFL venue haunted by the memories of the Jets and Giants.
“It’s trash, man,” Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson said in 2023, after avoiding a serious leg injury at MetLife.
“You’re out there running and all of a sudden your legs aren’t in the same place your head is.”
NFL injuries have led to change — but no grass is permanent
Serious injuries to Nick Bosa (ACL), Jaelan Phillips (Achilles) and Malik Nabers (ACL) have led to changes at the end, and FIFA’s real demand for grass is a good result going into Sunday’s final.
“No NFL stadium should be a joke,” said George Kittle of the San Francisco 49ers. “Absolutely. I feel like every field should have a level of safety on it. I don’t understand why there isn’t a level that says, ‘Hey, you have to choose between one turf or two.’
“There shouldn’t be 12 different turfs and 12 different grass fields. I think that’s amazing because a lot of other sports, unlike basketball players who play on different hardwoods, soccer players in Europe all play on really good grass. So it’s just weird to me.”
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But the headline from Super Bowl XLVIII is still ringing — ‘NFL to review train station fiasco’ — after thousands of attendees were stuck waiting hours for transportation after the NFL’s annual championship game ended.
“For the people who were distracted and delayed, there’s no doubt it was very frustrating,” NFL vice president Eric Grubman said in 2014.
“Maybe there was concern because people’s dreams are to get to the Super Bowl, when they want to get to the Super Bowl and how they want to get to the Super Bowl.”
The biggest test of the World Cup is yet to come
Overall, FIFA has recorded major victories during the 2026 World Cup from Mexico and Canada to Seattle and Boston.
Early predictions of large sections of empty seats are now being laughed at, even with high-priced tickets and the USMNT being eliminated from the Round of 16.
More than 6.5 million fans created a stadium attendance rate of 99.7 percent, making the 2026 World Cup an all-time record.
Now, a big test awaits in the stadium that dragged Rodgers down so cruelly.
US President Donald Trump is expected to make a good appearance, and the long-running schedule will upset social media.
If FIFA can win Sunday’s World Cup final at the home of the ill-fated Jets, they will return to the USA in 2038 for an even bigger tournament.
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