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Latin Times
Latin Times
Sport
Héctor Ríos Morales

A trip around the Copa América 2024 venues: East Rutherford, New Jersey

MetLife Stadium opened in 2010 and replaced the old Giants Stadium that stood in its place for more than 30 years (Credit: Via Front Row News)

SEATTLE - Located less than 10 miles away from Midtown Manhattan, the borough of East Rutherford has been the epicenter of sports in the New York City area for decades. With fewer than 10,000 residents, East Rutherford is the smallest city to host any professional sports team within its city limits.

During Copa América Centenario in 2016, MetLife Stadium hosted three games including the final between Chile and Argentina. Eight years later, the competition returns to New Jersey with two group stage matches, including a rematch between Chileans and Argentinians, and a semifinal game.

COPA AMÉRICA 2016 | FINAL | ARGENTINA vs CHILE

The borough is home of the Meadowlands Sports Complex, which includes both MetLife Stadium and the Meadowlands Arena. The 82,000-seat venue opened in 2010 and costed an approximate of $1.6 billion, making it the most expensive stadium built in the United States at the time of its completion.

The stadium serves as the home of the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets and has hosted an endless amount of other events such as Copa América Centenario, two WrestleMania events and Super Bowl XLVIII. MetLife Stadium will host eight games of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, including the final.

MetLife Stadium is one of eight venues selected for Copa América 2024 that will also serve as host cities for the 2026 World Cup.

MetLife Stadium Quick Facts

  • It was initially planned to have a roof but, due to funding issues, it was left uncovered.
  • In 2014, MetLife Stadium made history by hosting the first-ever cold-weather Super Bowl, when the Seattle Seahawks defeated the Denver Broncos to win their first-ever Super Bowl.
  • It took more than two years to be constructed and, once was finished, it became the NFL's largest stadium in terms of permanent seating as well as the world's most expensive stadium ($1.6 billion in 2010).
  • The stadium is equipped with a 4k video display, which is one of the largest in any stadium around the world. MetLife Stadium counts with over 2,100 HD video monitors.
Chile defeated Argentina at the Copa América Centenario played at MetLife Stadium in 2016; it was Chile's second title in the competition (Credit: Via newyorkjets.com)

Demographics

According to the 2020 U.S. Census, New York City and its metropolitan area was home to almost nine million inhabitants. Out of those, almost two-and-a-half million of them identified as Hispanic or Latino.

A 2023 estimate says that about 29% of the population around New York City are Hispanic or Latino, making it one of the two cities in the United States with the largest such population only behind the Los Angeles metropolitan area.

Other Attractions

With MetLife Stadium just a few miles away from Manhattan, fans that travel to the area will have plenty to choose from. Whether you want to enjoy the city's skyline from a rooftop bar, getting lost in the streets or discovering new cuisines, "the city that never sleeps" will most definitely have something for you.

The Statue of Liberty was gifted by the French to the U.S. in 1886; it is 305 feet tall including the statue's pedestal (Credit: Via worldatlas.com)

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