Get Red Bullish About The World Cup
- Jim Gorant
- Jun 9
- 6 min read
Friendly matches and watch parties at Sports Illustrated Stadium will get futbol fans close to the action.
In September of 2022, Argentina and Jamaica played a World Cup warm-up match at what was then called Red Bull Arena in Harrison.
Rabid Argentina fans packed the 25,000-seat stadium, filling it with light blue jerseys and resounding chants. If they were disappointed when their country’s global superstar, Lionel Messi, remained on the bench amid reports he had fallen ill, it didn’t seem to dampen their enthusiasm.
Then, with Argentina up 1-0 and 30 minutes remaining, Messi took the pitch. Fans hugged loved ones, lifted children onto their shoulders, and held their faces in both hands. Grown men wept.
That sort of passion, times eight, is arriving in New Jersey with this year’s World Cup, when an octet of matches will take place at MetLife Stadium (renamed “New
York New Jersey Stadium” for the event) between June 13 and July 19. The Red Bull New York team, and their recently renamed Sports Illustrated Stadium, will play a major role, too. It was one of the first purpose-built soccer stadiums in the country, and according to Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, “one of the greatest,” especially because it “set the standard for others.”
RED BULL RUN
Now, as the only official “host committee fan experience” in the state, it will host pre-Cup friendlies, then a series of concerts, and match-watching events during the tournament. It’s a pivotal moment for an organization that just 10 years ago had to plead with local newspapers to include its games on their calendars of local sporting events. Since then, with MLS playoff runs in 14 of the last 15 seasons, Red Bull New York has firmly established its place in the New York sports scene. (They’ve been joined by New York City FC, which enjoys similar popularity.)
“The World Cup is going to be rocket fuel for what we’re trying to accomplish,” says Christoph Schoenbeck, head of stadium events. “Everyone is trying to figure out the
best ways to capitalize on the opportunity.”
It starts with soccer. Between May 30 and June 7, the stadium will host four friendlies—Ecuador-Saudi Arabia, Guatemala-Czechia, Bolivia-Scotland, and Morocco-Norway. Seven of those teams will play for the Cup; Guatemala didn’t qualify, but it has a large local following that should draw a crowd.
For each event, pre-match festivities along what Red Bull New York calls its “BULLevard”
outside the stadium will offer a mix of games, food trucks, and photo ops.
Once the Cup kicks off, on June 11, Red Bull New York will cover the pitch with temporary
flooring and put on a string of concerts and watch parties. “The events break down into
three basic tiers,” says Schoenbeck.
Tier 1 covers games that attract crowds of 500 or so, which will take place in Hype House, a hospitality space inside Sports Illustrated Stadium that has 20 TVs and a small stage.
Tier 2 applies to game watches that draw a larger gathering. Those will access Hype House and the lower bowl of the stadium, where the matches will air on two 60-foot video boards at either end. Both of these tiers cost $10 (free for kids 12 and under) and will include music and guest appearances by celebrities and former players.
Tier 3 is the concert series, which will mix headlining acts with watch parties, often
themed. For instance, Norwegian electronic dance musician Kygo will perform with Kaleo on June 22, leading into the Norway-Senegal match. Fans who come to the show can stay for the match. Likewise, the French duo Justice and DJ Snake will play before the France-Senegal match on June 16. Both concerts/watch parties cost $75 each. Pricing for other Tier 3 events was not available when this publication went to print.
THE GRASS IS GREENER
The plan highlights a “music meets soccer” approach that started last year when the stadium hosted three concerts.
“We’d had maybe four concerts in the 15 years before that, but we’ll have six to eight this
year alone,” Schoenbeck says. “It’s a chance to showcase the sport and the stadium. We want to be a sports and culture destination on par with anyone else in the region.”
The only victim of the roughly month-long celebration might be the stadium’s pitch.
For years, the natural grass surface at Sports Illustrated Stadium was considered among the best, if not the best, in the league, although it hit some rough patches in 2025.
Former team manager Sandro Schwartz openly complained about the field after a match last August, saying the team “had one of the best pitches in the league, but now it’s worse,” and at least in part blaming it for poor performances.
According to the team, the conditions resulted from a period of intense activity, including seven Leagues Cup games over 10 days. The maintenance team “worked our magic and had the field playable although not pretty,” says Paul Zaraza, senior manager of grounds, and the team “replaced the field at the earliest possible window.”
The resodded surface recaptured the previous glory, thanks to a combination of technology and old-fashioned effort. “We supplement with grow lights,” says Zaraza, noting the team’s five “big rigs,” rolling tracks of lights that span from one end of the field to the other.
“They’re pink light, a combination of blue light, which stimulates the roots, and red light,
which is good for shoot growth.”
Otherwise, “nothing touches the grass that shouldn’t,” he says. His staff uses only push mowers. After matches, the pitch is swept, while a team of seven patrols the ground, fixing divots by hand.
They’re fighting a battle against foot traffic. Besides Red Bull New York, Sports Illustrated Stadium is the home pitch for Gotham FC, a National Women’s Soccer League team. It also hosts some New York City FC games, international friendlies, Rugby 7s tournaments, Premier Lacrosse League games, and four-hour youth programs that run multiple days a week.
“It’s a balancing act,” Zaraza says, “but we do everything we can to make it the best it can be. It really comes down to attention to detail.”
POST-CUP PLAY
The day after the World Cup festivities end, the team will resod the field again, this time with Bermuda grass, which does better in hot weather.
That should hold up well for late July and August, when the stadium will again host Leagues Cup play.
A concert by the iconic heavy metal band Iron Maiden will follow in September, after which the team will resod for the third time in roughly a year, going back to its familiar Kentucky bluegrass. It’s an expensive and labor-intensive process, but the income from the added events more than makes up for the cost.
“We have a young, exciting team and a 10-day window after the end of the World Cup until our next game to capture the wave of excitement and interest,” says Schoenbeck, who worked for MLS for 15 years before coming to Red Bull New York in 2025. “I’ve been attuned to the slow and steady growth of soccer in the region, and it’s amazing to be a part of it.”
That growth has culminated in the team and the state landing the ultimate prize, according to the former First Lady of New Jersey and chairwoman of the World Cup’s New York/New Jersey Host Committee, Tammy Murphy. “I will tell you that without the participation of Red Bull New York, I’m not sure we would have landed a lot of the games we did here in New Jersey,” she says, before adding that the team and Sports Illustrated Stadium were “important factors that are attractive to Gianni Infantino [FIFA president] and many at FIFA, and it’s one of the big reasons I really do believe that we were awarded with the final.”
WATCH PARTIES/CONCERTS
Family Day Watch Party/Concert, June 14, 1 p.m.-6 p.m.
Watch Party/Justice and DJ Snake/Fra-Sen June 16, 3 p.m.-10 p.m.
Watch Party/Kygo with Kaleo/Nor-Sen, June 22 at 5:30 p.m.
WORLD CUP MATCHES AT METLIFE STADIUM
Brazil v. Morocco, June 13, at 6 p.m.
France v. Senegal, June 16 at 3 p.m.
Norway v. Senegal. June 22 at 8 p.m.
Ecuador v. Germany, June 25 at 4 p.m.
Panama v. England, June 27 at 5 p.m.
Match 77, TBD, June 30 at 5 p.m.
Match 91, TBD, July 5 at 4 p.m.
Match 104 (FINAL), July 19 at 3 p.m.
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