FIFA Cannot Sell MetLife Stadium Turf, NJ Lawmaker Says

A New Jersey lawmaker is calling on Governor Mikie Sherrill to stand up to FIFA following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.

Assemblyman Michael Inganamort (R-Morris) slammed FIFA recently, calling their attempt to sell pieces of turf from MetLife Stadium “the final insult” to New Jerseyans.

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“FIFA needs to get off our turf, literally,” Inganamort said. “New Jersey taxpayers funded $13 million in upgrades to MetLife Stadium, including replacing the artificial turf with grass. Additionally, the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority holds the stadium’s land lease. This is state-owned property. FIFA can’t just sell off the soccer pitch without permission.”

Specifically, Inganamort is calling on the Sherrill administration to file a restraining order against FIFA, arguing that any proceeds from turf sales should benefit New Jersey taxpayers, not the soccer giant.

Currently, shoppers can buy a piece of turf that the World Cup final was played on for between $450 and $3,000, depending on the size of the turf. The piece of grass comes in a commemorative glass box as well as a display case.

Inganamort projects that FIFA could make upwards of $11 million from the turf sales.

“What is happening is not just a bad deal for the taxpayers of New Jersey; it’s illegal,” Inganamort said. “The Sherrill administration must use every tool at their disposal to stop FIFA from selling off our field, including seeking a restraining order… It is American-grown grass paid for by the taxpayers of New Jersey and planted at a state-owned complex. The sale must follow all the rules and laws that dictate how state surplus property is sold. It must benefit New Jersey taxpayers — not FIFA or a host committee that splits resources across New Jersey and New York.”

Inganamort has been a longtime critic of how New Jersey taxpayers have been treated during the World Cup. Since April, he’s petitioned against the fact that, despite New Jersey providing $50 million to the NY-NJ FIFA 2026 Host Committee, only New York City residents were eligible to win discounted tickets.

In other words, New Jersey taxpayers were funding discounted World Cup tickets for New York City fans exclusively.

“New Jersey residents, whose state is physically hosting these matches and whose tax dollars helped make them possible, are excluded entirely,” the lawmaker wrote in a joint letter to Senate Budget Chairman Paul A. Sarlo and Assembly Budget Chairwoman Eliana Pintor Marin in May. “New Jersey’s taxpayers are being used by the Host Committee to benefit New York City politicians and residents.”

A spokesperson for the Governor's Office told Patch, "As the Governor has said, New Jersey paid multiple millions for the total expense for the pitch at MetLife Stadium, so New Jersey taxpayers should share in any proceeds.”

It's not clear at this time if Sherrill is considering filing a restraining order against FIFA.