- Title: Fans disappointed as Liberty State Park World Cup FanFest cancelled
- Date: 17th March 2026
- Summary: NEW YORK, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES (RECENT - MARCH 8, 2026) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF BRAZILIAN PALMEIRAS SOCCER TEAM FANS CHEERING AND WATCHING GAME AT LEGENDS NYC BAR & GRILL (SOUNDBITE) (English) RODRIGO LEMMI, 35, ORIGINALLY FROM SAO PAULO, BRAZIL, NOW LIVES IN LONG ISLAND CITY, WORKS IN BANKING, SAYING: "In history, you had Olympic events being impacted by what is happ
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Brazil FanFest Liberty State Park MetLife Stadium Mike Sena Nellie Pou Palmeiras World Cup World Cup final game match play security soccer
- Location: VARIOUS
- City: VARIOUS
- Country: US
- Topics: North America,Soccer,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA001457716032026RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: World Cup fans in the New York City area reacted with a mix of disappointment and understanding after a planned week‑long FanFest at Liberty State Park was scrapped, with local officials and security experts citing safety, staffing, and funding concerns.
At Legends NYC Bar & Grill in Manhattan, supporters of Brazilian club Palmeiras gathered over the weekend to watch a match and weighed in on the decision.
“In history, you had Olympic events being impacted by what is happening, right, wars, and I don't think we're going to get into a situation where the World Cup itself will be canceled,” said Rodrigo Lemmi, 35, originally from São Paulo and now living in Long Island City. “If they are just reducing the amount of events to keep people safe, that's what I expect the government to do… If they believe that reducing fan zones is the right choice, so be it.”
Adriano Branco, 35, who also grew up in São Paulo, said fan zones had been “one of the highlights” of past tournaments he attended. “You meet a lot of people from all over the world… exchanging jerseys,” he said. “We are losing that by not having the fan zone, but I understand safety should be the top priority.”
The FanFest, announced in February last year, had been expected to run across all 104 matches of the tournament, which begins June 11.
The New York–New Jersey World Cup host committee said in a statement that it replaced the FanFest with an "expanded network of fan zones and community celebrations across 21 counties in New Jersey” that will “serve as a cornerstone of the region’s official fan engagement program.”
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has announced a $5 million initiative to support those community‑based World Cup events.
Congresswoman Nellie Pou, a New Jersey Democrat, said shifting away from a single, centralized viewing zone could broaden participation.
“The fact that it is no longer being held in any one location… allows for the opportunity for the entire state of New Jersey to really participate,” Pou said.
Security officials say the cancellation underscores the strain on regional agencies preparing for the tournament, which will include multiple matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford.
“In the evaluation of locations that may be fan zones, security is number one,” said Mike Sena, president of the National Fusion Center Association and director of the Northern California Regional Intelligence Center. “If we don't have the resources to make all the locations secure, we can't overstretch public safety resources.”
Sena said a lack of dedicated federal funding remains a major challenge for the smaller police departments expected to help staff World Cup‑related operations.
“Many of the jurisdictions are not in the largest cities,” he said. “They’re going to need a lot of help… and that’s not in the normal budget for most of these agencies.”
MetLife Stadium will host several high‑profile matches, including the World Cup final.
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