The Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens will become a soccer hub for 11 days next summer as the New York-New Jersey 2026 World Cup Host Committee teams up with the United States Tennis Association. The site will serve as a World Cup fan zone from June 17 to June 28, with Louis Armstrong Stadium converted into a gathering space where fans can watch select group-stage matches.
This marks the third fan-site announcement from the host committee within a year, joining similar festivities at Rockefeller Center and Liberty State Park in Jersey City.
Visitors to the Queens fan zone and the Liberty State Park site—the region’s primary FIFA Fan Festival—will need to purchase a $10 ticket, while the Rockefeller Center fan village will be free to enter.
“We aim to deliver an experience that connects fans to the global stage and highlights the borough’s diversity, culture, and love of sport,” said Alex Lasry, the host committee’s CEO. “This will be a place where the world comes together, and we’re eager to make it an unforgettable experience.”
Organizers described the Queens fan zone as featuring live match broadcasts, entertainment, interactive games, and food from local vendors.
The release did not specify which group-stage matches would be shown at the Queens site.
Ticket information for the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center fan site is expected to be released in early 2026.
As preparations for the U.S.-Canada-Mexico joint World Cup continue, attention has grown on ticket pricing. Next summer’s tournament is anticipated to be among the most expensive in World Cup history, with MetLife Stadium—the venue for the final—hosting some of the costlier matches.
In response to backlash over prices, FIFA announced on Tuesday that it would reduce prices for the tournament’s most loyal fans. Tickets priced at $60 will be made available for every game and distributed to the national federations of the competing squads, who will decide how best to allocate them.
During an October event, Lasry emphasized that the World Cup extends beyond stadium play; the host committee’s mission includes making the tournament accessible to everyone through metropolitan-area events.
“There will be many people who won’t go inside the stadium,” he noted. “We want them to experience and participate in the World Cup. It’s not only about what happens on the field; it’s about engaging with everything happening outside and ensuring it’s accessible to all.”
