World Cup Comes to New Jersey Alongside One of America’s Most Polluted Rivers

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Millions of soccer fans will descend on MetLife Stadium for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, but just beyond the bright lights of the Meadowlands sits one of the nation’s most heavily polluted waterways: the Hackensack River.

The lower stretch of the Hackensack River — which flows directly alongside the Meadowlands sports complex hosting World Cup matches — remains ...