How the Three-Million-Square-Foot American Dream Mall Became a World Cup Hangout
With no tailgating allowed at MetLife Stadium, soccer fans from around the world turned a giant New Jersey mall into their own pregame party spot.
Thousands of soccer fans from around the world came to New Jersey this summer for the FIFA World Cup. MetLife Stadium is hosting eight matches, including the final. But the stadium sits in a sea of parking lots, far from any city streets or neighborhoods. So fans found a new place to celebrate — a giant shopping mall connected to the stadium by an elevated walkway.
The American Dream mall opened in 2021 and is the second-largest shopping mall in the United States. It has three million square feet of space, hundreds of stores, and dozens of places to eat. It also has some very unusual indoor attractions, like a ski slope, a water park, five roller coasters, and a go-kart track. Before World Cup matches, it became an unofficial fan zone.
Famous soccer stadiums around the world are usually surrounded by lively city streets. Fans in Mexico City, Rio de Janeiro, and Madrid can walk through busy neighborhoods full of food and music before games. MetLife Stadium, by contrast, sits in a flat, swampy area near several highways. Fans are also not allowed to tailgate in the parking lots, which left many people looking for somewhere else to go.
Inside the mall, the pregame energy was loud and joyful. A Senegalese drum group played lively beats near a cookie stand. Four men in French jerseys juggled a stuffed soccer ball bought from an IKEA kiosk. Fans from different countries mixed together, singing and dancing through the mall's wide hallways.
The area that normally holds an ice rink was turned into a giant gathering space with picnic tables. Fans sat together, clapping and singing before the match. Above them, a huge screen showed a live video of the fans themselves — so people were cheering at real-time images of themselves cheering. It was a strange but fun experience.
Some fans made the most of the unusual setting in their own way. Carlos Orbe and his fiancée, Julia Szenberg, heard there was no tailgating at the stadium, so they brought drinks to the mall's parking garage instead. They joined a circle of strangers kicking a soccer ball and sharing good times. Ms. Szenberg said the group of strangers quickly felt like family.
"We don't know them. But now they're our family. This is the real American dream, happening in the mall parking garage."
Comprehension quiz preview
1. Where is MetLife Stadium located?
2. What is the American Dream mall known for being?
3. What did Carlos Orbe and Julia Szenberg do when they learned there was no tailgating at MetLife Stadium?