The tail-gatekeepers have spoken.
World Cup fever has been gripping fervent soccer fans since mid-June, with revelers fanning out across the region to celebrate.
Sure, it’s the first time the soccer tournament has been on US soil in 32 years, but local soccer fans attending a MetLife Stadium match better make sure tailgating is not in their plans.
Normally a staple of events at the NFL venue that transformed into a soccer arena to host eight matches this summer, the fine American art of tailgating has been banned outright at the massive complex, much to the chagrin of charged-up soccer fans eager to celebrate their teams — and party in the process.
While not an official FIFA policy, MetLife has banned parking altogether, and the tailgate crowd that normally comes with it.
Host committee spokesperson Natalie Hamilton told NJ.com that matches at the now temporarily named New York New Jersey stadium are a “public transportation-first event,” because “the parking lots will be used for other functions ‘dedicated to fan engagement.’”
“They’re making it very difficult for the average person to attend and enjoy the games,” an anonymous sports-loving tailgater told The Post.
“It’s all about money, but they’ll probably say it’s because of security.”
They’re not wrong.
Instead of some good old-fashioned drinks and snacks perched on the back of someone’s parked car pre-sports game, MetLife has transformed its massive parking lot into a fan experience complete with food, drinks and activities — of course, only offered to those with tickets.
As a result of the ban, fans are taking their celebrations elsewhere — and businesses are capitalizing on it.
Marvin Hyer Jr, the President of ManCave Events LLC, whose company specializes in “elevated” and “hassle-free” custom tailgating events, has partnered with Redds, a sports bar on the outskirts of the stadium, to host tailgating experiences in their parking lot.
“When we found out about the ban, we pivoted,” said Hyer Jr who launched ManCave Events in 2010 and is accustomed to normally setting up tailgates in the MetLife parking lot.
“Now you have to be further, and we worried it might not have the same feel as being at the stadium. We thought it might be hard for customers to wrap their heads around that,” he added.
Still, they decided to adapt to the rules. “We looked outside the security perimeter as our next best option, and we’ve had quite a few requests from clients so far,” Hyr Jr, who is booking up match by match, told The Post.
A custom tailgate courtesy of ManCave can set guests back $7,500 for a private experience for up to 30 soccer fans. The smaller option costs $3,750 for 10 or fewer people.
By the time the finals roll around, those prices tick up.
The cost includes a bevy of picking-style food, including Bavarian pretzels and cheeseburger sliders, as well as a premium open bar with a bartender and games like giant Jenga and cornhole.
Rushabh Shah, who runs Instant Party Company, which also specializes in luxury tailgating and pop-up parties, was initially disappointed when the tailgating rules at MetLife were unveiled.
Now they’re pivoting too, and Shah told The Post they’re now fielding requests concerning partying off-site.
“If we’re setting up at a house or in the backyard, we’ll bring bartenders, DJs, private bathrooms, large size TVs along with tents, chairs, catering and liquor,” said Shah. “We’d basically give them a stadium experience in the form of a full party in their backyard.”
Shah said, on average, he’ll charge revelers anywhere between $6,000 and $10,000 and up for their celebratory services.
“I think the biggest party we threw was for 140 people,” he recalls. “It rained the whole time, and a 65-inch TV broke, so we had to bring in another one on the fly.”
Nearby bars and restaurants are also benefiting from the tailgate ban.
“We’ve had the Super Bowl here in New Jersey, but to be honest, this is a hundred times bigger than that,” says Michael McCarthy, the General Manager of The Union Bar and Provisions, located just under two miles from the stadium.
Union bills itself as a NYC-style pub serving housemade burgers and mixing up the official cocktails FIFA is serving inside the stadium, including the refreshing tequila-based La Verde.
“We had to jump on the wagon,” said McCarthy.
So far, the restaurant has noticed a major uptick in revelers before, during and after the games in equal measure. Steady streams of thirsty fans file in and out throughout the day.
“We just opened in August, but we knew 2026 was going to be special,” McCarthy says, who suspects business will only ramp up as the games continue leading up to the World Cup Final on Jul 19.
In addition to his customers off the street, McCarthy started getting private rental reservations as early as this past November from corporations looking to go all out to celebrate the games.
While he was reluctant to offer exact figures, McCarthy says he’ll tack on a 30 percent fee on top of what he’d normally expect to make on a busy day to clients looking to rent out his digs.
“If I’m losing most of my customers, it has to be worth it for us,” he says.
A mere half-mile from the stadium, the American Dream Mall is also enjoying and profiting from the ripple effects of the ban.
“It has 1,000 percent affected us positively,” says Gregg Schwartz, the Head of Public Relations and Head of Sports Marketing at American Dream Mall.
“We are now the tailgate,” he says frankly.
Schwartz points to the American Dream’s expansive property as an ideal option, considering the massive complex features over a hundred different eateries and bars and the fact that it’s the only major parking facility within walking distance of the stadium.
At the June 13 Brazil and Morocco matchup, Schwartz said the mall hosted around 5,000 people who either came before the game or watched it in the arena. The mall fully capitalized on it, hosting Samba dancers in honor of the face-off and playing native music.
“It’s been an electric environment,” Schwartz added.
Despite some of these festive tailgate workarounds,
While the businesses are laughing all the way to the bank, fans are frustrated that they’ve been forced to pivot their pre-match plans.
“I hate the tailgating ban,” New Jersey-born realtor Nicole Esther quipped to The Post. “I attended the ‘94 World Cup and missing the pre-game atmosphere is tragic. The fan interactions are top tier.”
Esther, who has a ticket for Germany’s World Cup match against Ecuador on Thursday, is trying to find businesses in the area that’d allow her to set up a tailgate in their parking lot.
“Restrictions can be planned around, but I feel like there could have been an effort to make attending a match at MetLife more fan-friendly and accessible,” she said.
Austin Eugenio, a Massachusetts soccer fan, agrees.
“It’s a shame that they banned it and tourists won’t be able to get to experience one of the main traditions of sporting events here,” Eugenio told the Post, before adding: “It’s unlikely I’ll actually attend the games thanks to the ridiculous ticket prices and high transportation costs.”
Brittany Loggins, a journalist and writer of the Mad Media column on Substack, attended the June 13 match between Brazil and Morocco and told The Post it was “super weird to see an empty parking lot,” despite a reported sold-out crowd of 80,663 attendees.
“If I had been driving in, I think I would’ve been completely confused as to where to go,” Loggins said, who likened security to airport-style screenings.
“Even though the traffic is terrible, it would’ve been cool to see some tailgating, especially because the fans are so wild for the games and the energy is so great. It’s absolutely magnetic.”
Loggins, for her part, made sure to party on the shuttle ride over.
“I was in a sprinter van, and actually saw so many others doing the same thing. I’m guessing a lot of people chose to carpool and I bet a lot of other people had the same tailgating-on-the-go idea.”
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