World Cup final: Argentina, Spain face off at New York New Jersey Stadium
· Yahoo Sports
All eyes are on New York City and New Jersey as the culmination of World Cup excitement is reaching a climax for the final between Argentina and Spain.
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Roughly 1.5 billion people from across the globe are watching the World Cup's finale match on Sunday, which is being held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Approximately 80,000 fans have packed the stadium to watch the defending champs Argentina take on Spain, in what many consider a matchup between two of the world's top national teams.
For the first time, Argentina's superstar Lionel Messi faced off against Spain's 19-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was attending the final match.
"This is no ordinary football match, this is the World Cup final, the greatest sporting event in the world, the eyes of the planet will turn towards New York New Jersey Stadium, on the line is nothing less than immortality: Spain vs. Argentina, Messi vs. Yamal, can the future over come the past? Will the greatest player to ever play the greatest game send his Barcelona successor back to the bath?" Mamdani said.
20-year-old soccer star Lionel Messi helps to bathe Lamine Yamal, who was merely six months old at the time, during a photo session in Sept. 2007 (AP Photo/Joan Monfort)In regard to the current threat environment, Gov. Mikie Sherrill said that what they are seeing is "nothing beyond what some of our normal threats are, although we are constantly monitoring."
Security measures and monitoring have increased ahead and during the World Cup Final, she said.
Security heightened for Sunday's match
Security was already expected to be tight, but it will be even more so with President Donald Trump in attendance. He was seen with the World Cup trophy earlier, and he's expected to present it to the winner of Sunday's match.
There will be a larger than usual half-time show, packed with superstar performers like Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber.
New Jersey Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri touted the service for efficiently moving fans to and from MetLife for the previous seven World Cup matches.
Fans heading to the match are being urged to arrive by 1:30 p.m. Shuttle service begins at 9:30 a.m., while NJ Transit rail service starts at 10:30 a.m. Stadium gates open at 11 a.m., followed by a fan experience. The closing ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m., with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m.
"I know I say it before every match, but I can't emphasize it enough today, plan extra time to get to the stadium, and make sure you are relying on public transportation to get there," Mamdani said. "We've seen heavy traffic and significant travel delays before every World Cup match and we're expecting it to be even more intense today, especially in Midtown."
Gridlock Alert/Street closures
Gridlock Alert traffic conditions will also be in effect on Sunday, and will include the following street closures:
- West 40th East from 11th Ave to 8th Ave
- West 41st St. between 8th Ave. and 12th Ave.
- West 42nd St. both ways between 1st and the West Side Highway - bus lane
- 5th and 6th avenues have 2 dedicated bus lanes between 42nd and 59th St.
- West 32nd St. between 7th and 6th ave.
- West 33rd will be closed between 7th and 8th avenues
Tri-State watch parties
CENTRAL PARK
Thousands packed in to Central Park to watch the match
NEWARK
The lines stretched for blocks in Newark to get in to watch España and Argentina face off for the title of world champion.
One thing fans could agree on was language - the Spanish broadcast of the game was on.
These fans were are very proud of the way our New York New Jersey region has hosted eight WC games including the final, welcoming people from all over the world and letting them show Americans why the world loves this sport so much in case they didn't already know.
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