TRENTON, N.J. — Governor Mikie Sherrill announced 34 winners of state World Cup community grants on May 6, but her office released dollar amounts for only one of them.
The Philadelphia Inquirer confirmed that Visit South Jersey has received $788,000 for multi-county events in Camden, Gloucester and Burlington counties. The Governor’s office released no other dollar amounts. No publicly available government document or verified news report reviewed by NJBallot disclosed the remaining 33 award amounts.
The $5 million community pool represents just 14.3 percent of the state’s total $35 million allocation to the New York New Jersey Host Committee, the nonprofit that FIFA requires host cities to maintain. That Host Committee reported $33,333 in private contributions during 2024.
Board records from the New Jersey Economic Development Authority confirm that the state has committed $35 million to the Host Committee since July 2025. The Governor’s May 6 announcement referenced only a “$5 million initiative,” and NJEDA’s March 16 press release cited a “$20 million allocation.” Neither mentioned the original $15 million approved last summer. That original $15 million sits in the public record but remains absent from recent communications.
Page 591 of the state budget for Fiscal Year 2026 reads, “There are appropriated to the respective State departments and agencies such amounts as are determined to be necessary, subject to the approval of the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting.” Budget analysts and Republican lawmakers described the provision as effectively allowing unlimited World Cup spending without further legislative approval. State Senator John Burzichelli (D-03) told Politico on April 14 he was "growing greatly concerned this is a Trojan horse," referring to the overall fiscal architecture of state support for the tournament.
The money flows through a 501(c)(6) business league that showed $7.37 million in liabilities against $1.64 million in assets on its 2024 Form 990, according to ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer records. Six officers drew $1.33 million in payroll that year. Board chair and former First Lady of New Jersey Tammy Murphy, as well as the other directors, reported zero compensation, typical for non-profit boards.
Choose New Jersey, the state’s nonprofit business attraction organization, serves as the Host Committee’s administrator. Its CEO, Wesley Mathews, earned $529,506 in 2024. The organization will collect up to 5 percent in administrative fees from participating businesses, and it requires every recipient to display Host Committee branding. Choose New Jersey’s 2024 annual report shows the nonprofit receives $12 million in state and federal marketing grants. Its board chair, Ralph LaRossa, leads utility giant PSEG.
Grant recipients must integrate events into a digital platform that collects fan location and behavioral data. The Host Committee’s privacy policy designates the committee itself as “data controller,” and it confirms collection through cookies, pixel tags, local storage, databases and server logs. The Governor’s press release states all 34 awardees will “integrate their events into the Welcome World Rewards Program.” That system lets fans earn points via digital check-ins at businesses, which they can exchange for rewards that include game tickets. Businesses must enroll, at no cost, by May 15.
Geographic mapping of the 34 named recipients shows that grants reached 17 of 21 counties. No awardees appeared in Cape May, Cumberland, Salem or Sussex, according to the Governor's list, NorthJersey.com and WRNJ reporting.
The grant structure divides funds into three “Regional Multi-Day Multi-Location” awards and 31 “Statewide Community Experience” grants, with large events capped at $1.5 million and smaller initiatives capped at $100,000. The Governor's press release categorizes the 34 awardees into three large-event grants and 31 smaller grants, but it does not disclose the exact dollar amount awarded to each organization.
A newsletter from the New Jersey Business Action Center warns small businesses that FIFA actively enforces trademarks on “FIFA,” “FIFA World Cup” and “World Cup 2026.” The NJBAC advised merchants to use generic phrases like “soccer celebration” or “game day event.”
State Senator Paul Sarlo (D-36th) and Assemblyman Michael Venezia (D-34th) introduced S4111 and A4838 on May 4. The parallel bills would impose a 2.5 percent hotel occupancy surcharge statewide between June 12 and July 20, excluding Atlantic, Monmouth, Ocean and Cape May counties. The bill’s provisions create a geographic boundary in South Jersey, where shore tourism districts escape the levy while inland counties including Cumberland and Salem still face it.
In addition to the hotel surcharge, Sarlo and Venezia’s bills would impose temporary taxes on rideshare trips ending in the Meadowlands, as well as on retail sales in the region. The bill also includes a 10% surcharge on earnings from sports wagering anywhere in the state and online.
Other legislators have expressed concerns about the concept of a surcharge, which Assembly Republicans branded as a “World Cup Tax Hike” in March, over a month before the bills were brought to the Legislature floor. After their introduction, U.S. Representative Josh Gottheimer (D-05) wrote to Sherrill in opposition, while Republican Budget Committee members demanded immediate joint hearings with the Host Committee.
NJ Transit faces a $48 million gap to transport fans to MetLife Stadium. The agency set round-trip fares from Manhattan at $150, up from the normal $12.90. FIFA pays nothing toward transit. Other host cities kept fares flat: Los Angeles at $1.75, Atlanta at $2.50, Houston at $1.25, Philadelphia at $2.90 and Kansas City at $15. FIFA Chief Operating Officer Heimo Schirgi said the pricing "will have a chilling effect."
NJ Transit after-action records from Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014 show the same rail system moved 35,264 riders total for that event, though planners had expected 8,000 to 13,000. The system can move roughly 12,000 to 13,000 riders per hour at peak. Officials now plan to move 40,000 fans per match.
Security costs add another $94 million or more, combining FEMA’s $66,205,076 allocation, a $26 million federal State Police grant for overtime and equipment and $2.23 million secured by Congresswoman Nellie Pou (D-09) for Bergen County Sheriff operations. The New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority has spent or contracted to spend $64.4 million, according to MyCentralJersey.
The Host Committee projects a $3.3 billion regional economic benefit. NorthJersey.com analysis puts New Jersey's actual share at roughly $330 million. That is one-tenth the regional claim.
Survey results reflect the scaled-down forecast. A Morning Consult poll found 86 percent of residents believe the surcharges undercut the benefits, and 64 percent oppose them. In a poll by the American Hotel & Lodging Association, two-thirds of NYC properties described World Cup bookings as tracking regular summer demand, and three-quarters of Philadelphia properties said bookings lagged typical summer levels. Respondents called the tournament a "non-event." The association did not survey New Jersey hotels.
The Athletic's review of the New York/New Jersey host city agreement confirms that FIFA receives extensive public services at no cost. FIFA receives free police escorts, free medical services, free fire protection, free office space and airspace clearance. The City of Vancouver's host city agreement addendum shows that FIFA also demands full indemnification from liability, including negligence and personal injury. It is not confirmed whether the New York/New Jersey agreement contains identical indemnification language.
Those guarantees protect an organization expecting massive revenue. FIFA anticipates roughly $11 billion from the tournament. It pays out more than $100 million in extra cash to participating federations, including $12.5 million minimum per federation and $2.5 million for pre-tournament training support.
The public pays for those guarantees. NorthJersey.com puts the total New Jersey taxpayer exposure at $307 million. Internal calculations combining NJSEA, NJEDA, FEMA, the State Police, NJ Transit, and Bergen County costs land near $241.83 million. The budget provision that allows for OMB discretion means neither figure may hold as a ceiling.
The tournament opens June 11. New Jersey's first match falls on June 13. The Final lands on July 19. That leaves roughly five weeks before the state begins collecting surcharges on June 12 and disbursing the $5 million community allocation through the Host Committee and Choose New Jersey.
Applications for large events opened and closed on April 13. Smaller initiatives closed April 16. The windows for applying are shut, but the windows for seeing where the money went are not yet open. NJEDA board records require the Host Committee to file monthly reports. Those reports were not available on the agency's public website as of May 7. Choose New Jersey requires grant recipients to file detailed accounting and economic impact reports within 30 days of event completion. Those reports have not been publicly disclosed.
Five weeks before the first match, the Governor's office has released one award amount out of 34. The state has committed $35 million to a nonprofit that reported $33,333 in private contributions during 2024. Total taxpayer exposure sits between $241.83 million and $307 million, but a budget provision means neither number is final. And the public still cannot see how much each organization received.
Related Articles
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Sources
• Office of the Governor, “Governor Sherrill Announces $5 Million NJ World Cup Community Initiative Grant Recipients” (May 6, 2026)
• NJEDA, Board Meeting Book (March 12, 2026)
• NJEDA, “NJEDA Board Approves $20M to Support FIFA World Cup 2026” (March 16, 2026)
• ProPublica, New York New Jersey Host Committee 2024 Form 990 (November 17, 2025)
• ProPublica, Choose New Jersey 2024 Form 990 (2025)
• Choose New Jersey, Event Grant Guidelines (2026)
• Choose New Jersey, 2024 Annual Report (2024)
• New York New Jersey Host Committee, Privacy Policy (2026)
• NJBAC, newsletter (April 10, 2026)
• Philadelphia Inquirer, report on Visit South Jersey award (May 6, 2026)
• Katie Sobko, NorthJersey.com, “2026 FIFA World Cup: New Jersey public investment” (March 18, 2026)
• WRNJ Radio, report on World Cup grants (May 7, 2026)
• NJ Legislature, S4111/A4838 (May 4, 2026)
• Daniel Han, Politico, “The world’s cup and New Jersey’s coffers” (April 14, 2026)
• NJ Monthly, report on World Cup surcharge bill (April 12, 2026)
• Assembly GOP, “DePhillips, Barlas Slam World Cup Tax Hike Proposal as ‘Another Trenton Cash Grab’” (March 30, 2026)
• Office of U.S. Rep. Josh Gottheimer, letter to Governor Sherrill (May 2026)
• New Jersey Monitor, “Gov. Sherrill announces state grants to boost World Cup benefits statewide” (May 6, 2026)
• New Jersey Monitor, “NJ Democrats include funding for World Cup promotion in $128M spending bill” (January 9, 2026)
• Christine Sloan and Jesse Zanger, CBS News New York, “NJ Transit tickets for FIFA World Cup games will cost $150, with 40k per match up for grabs” (April 18, 2026)
• News 12 NJ, report on World Cup transit costs (April 17, 2026)
• ESPN News Services, ESPN, “N.J. governor: FIFA should pay extra train costs to MetLife for World Cup” (April 16, 2026)
• Associated Press, ESPN, “World Cup fans to MetLife Stadium will pay $150 train fares” (April 17, 2026)
• Matt Arco, NJ.com, “The drama surrounding N.J.’s $150 World Cup train tickets and Sherrill’s war with FIFA | Mikie’s World” (April 25, 2026)
• Colleen O’Dea, NJ Spotlight News, “State officials confident of security plans for World Cup” (April 9, 2026)
• Govly, “Congresswoman Pou Secures World Cup Security Funding” (April 8, 2026)
• FEMA, FIFA World Cup Grant Program (March 18, 2026)
• Host Committee, Economic Impact Summary (2026)
• ESPN News Services, ESPN, “FIFA to pay out more than $100M in extra cash to federations” (April 29, 2026)
• Melanie Anzidei, The Athletic, “New York/New Jersey World Cup hosting agreement makes many concessions to FIFA” (May 10, 2024)
• City of Vancouver, Host City Agreement Addendum (2026)
• MyCentralJersey, “2026 FIFA World Cup: What has New Jersey spent so far?” (May 7, 2025)
• NJ Transit, Super Bowl XLVIII After-Action Report (2014)
• Morning Consult, poll on World Cup surcharges (2026)
• American Hotel & Lodging Association, “US Hotel Outlook Report - FIFA World Cup 2026” (April 30, 2026)
• Chavdar Vasilev, Gambling Insider, “New Jersey World Cup Bills Would Add Sports Betting Surcharge Amid Transit Cost Backlash” (May 6, 2026)