AS FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 DESCENDS ON THE NEW YORK-NEW JERSEY REGION, HACKENSACK MERIDIAN HEALTH IS PREPARING TO CARE FOR MILLIONS — FROM PLAYERS ON THE PITCH TO FANS FLOODING STADIUMS, FESTIVALS, AND CITY STREETS

By Amanda McCoy • Photos by Amanda Domenech

The FIFA World Cup is the biggest, most-watched sporting event on the planet, drawing five billion viewers worldwide in 2022, eclipsing everything from the Olympics to the Tour de France. For perspective, the Super Bowl, the undisputed king of U.S. broadcasts, tallied 137.8 million viewers in this year’s showdown. The 2026 tournament is poised to become the largest in FIFA’s history, expanding to 48 teams competing across 16 host cities during the month-long spectacle. For the first time since 1994, it’s happening on American soil — and for Garden Staters, in their backyard.

New York New Jersey MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford will host eight World Cup matches this summer, kicking off on June 13 with Brazil vs Morocco and culminating on July 19 with the championship Final. In addition to the games, there will be a flurry of fan festivals, watch parties, concerts, pop-up events, and more taking place across the state, with an estimated 1.2 million visitors pouring into the NY/NJ region from around the world.

The scale is simply massive, but behind every thunderous goal celebration, packed fan festival, and sea of international revelers will be an equally impressive operation working quietly in the background: healthcare readiness.

Enter the state’s largest healthcare system. Hackensack Meridian Health will serve as the Official New York New Jersey World Cup 2026 Host City Supporter and official medical anchor, providing care services not just for the players and officials, but for the millions of tri-state residents and global visitors taking part in the festivities. Hackensack Meridian Health CEO Robert Garrett described the partnership as “a once-in-a-generation opportunity,” a chance to make a lasting community impact, support the NY/NJ region, and spotlight HMH’s world-class care services on a global stage. For the network’s leaders, it’s an exciting — but tremendous — responsibility.

“This is the largest sporting event in the world, and it’s so incredible that it’s happening in our backyard, less than five miles from our flagship hospital, Hackensack University Medical Center,” said Jose Lozano, executive vice president, chief growth officer at Hackensack Meridian Health. “It’s an opportunity to showcase HMH as a premier healthcare organization with the capability and readiness to care for people from all walks of life and all over the world.”

With fan excitement mounting in the weeks leading up to kickoff, meticulous preparation across the entire HMH network has been underway for months.

“Teams will start to arrive T-minus seven days from the first game, but we are at MetLife Stadium every Sunday during the NFL season, so we have that down to a science,” said Gregory Sugalski, MD, chair of Emergency Medicine at Hackensack University Medical Center. “What we have been preparing for are the fan festivals, pop-up events, and international flavor of the travelers outside of their home country who don’t have access to their own doctors, medications, or familiar healthcare systems.”

The challenge is magnified by timing. During a temporary break in FIFA events around the Fourth of July, the region is simultaneously expecting enormous crowds for celebrations surrounding the nation’s 250th anniversary. Dr. Sugalski said forecasts predict as many as six to eight million additional people entering the New York metropolitan area during that stretch, placing enormous strain on infrastructure and healthcare systems alike. Fortunately, large-scale emergency preparedness is already embedded into the DNA of the institution.

“Readiness is ingrained in what we do in ER medicine every day,” Dr. Sugalski said. “We run simulations twice a week whether FIFA is coming or not to prepare for any scenario that could overwhelm the department and our resources. With FIFA coming, we are doing those drills on a much larger scale to ensure our frontline staff and emergency departments are ready for any and all scenarios.”

The international nature of the tournament introduces a different set of public health considerations, and medical teams are preparing for diseases that may be uncommon in the United States but more prevalent abroad.

“We screen every individual for travel history and the likelihood of infectious diseases,” Dr. Sugalski said. “Our electronic health record system helps identify patterns and communicate trends quickly. We also have extensive translation capabilities, including in-person interpreters along with high-tech translation systems capable of connecting patients with an interpreter in virtually any language with the touch of a button.”

The organization is also leveraging the event to amplify public health outreach and anti-human trafficking initiatives. Sadly, large-scale events can create conditions that increase the risk of human trafficking. Drawing from extensive screening programs already in place across its hospitals, HMH is teaming up with regional partners, law enforcement agencies, and advocacy groups to identify and assist trafficking victims throughout the tournament.

Beyond emergency medicine, the partnership also places heavy emphasis on long-term community impact. As part of the World Cup legacy initiative, HMH is funding three permanent mini-pitches in Hackensack, Woodbridge, and Asbury Park designed to give local children safe, modern spaces to play sports and stay active, underscoring the network’s commitment to investing in healthy communities.

In addition to the fanfare surrounding the World Cup and America’s 250th anniversary, this summer also marks a proud milestone for Hackensack Meridian Health. “July is our tenth anniversary, and as part of the celebration, we are sending several team members to the games — not executives or donors, but our nurses, techs, and frontline staff who are the backbone of this institution,” said Lozano.

Hackensack Meridian Health
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