World Cup Fans Flock to 3 Million-Square-Foot New Jersey Mall Near 8-Match MetLife Stadium
Updated
Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18
World Cup Fans Flock to 3 Million-Square-Foot New Jersey Mall Near 8-Match MetLife Stadium
2 articles · Updated · The New York Times · Jun 18
Summary
Benjamin Klevge, a fan from Pamiers, France, spent his World Cup trip photographing a 60-foot Statue of Liberty replica covered in more than 1 million jelly beans at the American Dream mall.
The stop underscores how East Rutherford’s tournament experience centers less on dense city streets than on a sprawling indoor complex with a candy store, water park and pop-music soundtrack steps from MetLife Stadium.
MetLife — rebranded for the event as “New York New Jersey Stadium” — will host eight matches, including the final, giving the suburban New Jersey venue an unusually prominent role in the tournament.
That setting contrasts with past World Cup landmarks such as Estadio Azteca, the Maracanã and the Santiago Bernabéu, which are woven into urban neighborhoods that shape the atmosphere around matches.