The New York/New Jersey region is a national and international center for media, finance, commerce, culture and retail. It is home to countless museums and has a 24-hour vibrancy. As the most visited city in the United States, New York has a virtually infinite amount of things to see and three different professional football teams to support.
With hundreds of thousands of youth players in the region, New York/New Jersey grew the game from a grassroots level tremendously after hosting the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA™, and expects to do the same after 2026. These states have hosted some of the biggest sporting and entertainment events. The region is older than the United States, founded by Europeans nearly 400 years ago. Because of its harbor, New York/New Jersey has always enjoyed a prominent place in commerce and industry, serving as the country’s first capital city, spawning its earliest financial markets, and has been a leader in every form of business, art, and culture.
New York/New Jersey has two professional football teams, NYCFC and New York Red Bulls, and a huge youth football base that will only increase in both size and quality of play as interest in those teams grows. The area has hosted many USA men’s and women’s national team matches, demonstrating the region’s interest in the world’s game.
Football in the region has always drawn large crowds. Highlights include Pele and the Cosmos in the 1970s, the 1994 FIFA World Cup USA™ (seven matches including a quarter-final and semi-final), the FIFA Women’s World Cup 1999™ (Opening Ceremonies and USA's opening round match), the Concacaf Gold Cup Final in 2009, and the Copa America Centenario Final in 2016 which drew a record crowd of 82,026. The region is home to many professional sports teams including two NFL teams (Giants and Jets), two MLB teams (Yankees and Mets), two NBA teams (Knicks and Nets) and three NHL teams (Rangers, Islanders, and Devils). New York is also the league headquarters for the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL and MLS. Other than the major football events, the metropolitan area also hosts high-profile sporting events, including the New York City Marathon, the US Open tennis tournament and was the site of the 2008 MLB All-Star Game and the 2014 Super Bowl.