Why Las Vegas’ $2 billion Allegiant Stadium was ruled out of hosting the FIFA World Cup final

The 2026 World Cup final between Spain and Argentina took place at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey on Sunday.

The stadium, which belongs to the New York Giants and the New York Jets, is often criticised by NFL and now soccer fans.

Events at MetLife Stadium are often described as logistical nightmares, as it is surrounded by parking lots and highways.

The stadium’s location, a 30-minute drive from New York City, was also not ideal for tourists during the World Cup.

Some fans may have wondered why Las Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium did not host the World Cup final, or even a single game.

The 65,000-capacity Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas took three years to build and opened in 2020 at a cost of nearly $2 billion.

The stadium hosts the Las Vegas Raiders, but it has also hosted several concerts and sporting events, including WrestleMania.

Located on the Las Vegas Strip, one of the most popular tourist destinations in the USA, many believed it deserved to be a World Cup venue.

However, the stadium’s retractable field was only built to fit NFL dimensions—too narrow for a World Cup football pitch.

It would have reportedly cost more than $100 million to widen the pitch to meet the World Cup’s requirements.

Therefore, Las Vegas and the Raiders rejected the opportunity to become a host city for the 2026 World Cup in the United States.

Perhaps they will reconsider if the World Cup returns to the country in 2038, should FIFA grant Donald Trump’s wish.