World Cup final fever swallowed New York — Times Square turned sky blue and the MetLife queue never ended
Thousands of Argentina and Spain fans took over New York on World Cup 2026 final day. At MetLife Stadium, 80,000 people faced hours-long queues with security beefed up for Donald Trump.
Long before kick-off at MetLife Stadium, the World Cup 2026 final had already been played out on the streets of New York. Thousands of Argentina supporters turned Times Square into a sea of sky blue, drums and flags bouncing off the giant screens, while Spain’s fans answered in smaller but no less noisy pockets. Anyone walking through midtown in the early afternoon could be forgiven for thinking Buenos Aires had moved to Manhattan wholesale.
How many fans are at MetLife for the World Cup final?
Around 80,000 supporters packed MetLife Stadium in New Jersey to watch defending champions Argentina take on European champions Spain, with a global audience estimated at roughly 1.5 billion people. Tickets reached prices never before seen for a World Cup final — and still sold out. We have been following the whole tournament in our live World Cup hub.
Why are the queues so long?
The short answer has a name. Donald Trump’s presence in the stands — alongside Claudia Sheinbaum and Mark Carney, in a box that looks more like a summit — forced an extraordinary security operation, with tighter searches and wider perimeters. The result: hours of waiting, queues wrapping around the stadium, and journalists from around the world stuck at gates giving contradictory instructions. Fans, funnelled through more entry points under strict but clear bag rules, moved somewhat faster — though nobody escaped the wait entirely.
Inside, the atmosphere makes up for the patience. Argentina’s travelling party has not stopped singing since the group stage; Spain trust a side that has conceded just one goal all tournament. The official match sheet and full bracket are on FIFA’s website.
Whatever happens on the pitch, New York has already won the day. The pictures of a sky-blue Times Square will outlast that MetLife queue by years.
By Vasco Almada
Image: Bryan Berlin / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)