NEW YORK CITY (WABC) — All eyes will be on New York City and New Jersey as the culmination of World Cup excitement comes to a climax Sunday afternoon for the final between Argentina and Spain.
Roughly 1.5 billion people from across the globe will be watching the World Cup’s finale match on Sunday, which is being held at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
Approximately 80,000 fans will pack the stadium to watch the defending champs Argentina take on Spain, in what many consider a matchup between two of the world’s top national teams.
For the first time, Argentina’s superstar Lionel Messi will face off against Spain’s 19-year-old phenom Lamine Yamal.
Chantee Lans has more on the excitement and the heightened security ahead of Sunday’s World Cup final between Spain and Argentina.
Security heightened for Sunday’s match
Security was already expected to be tight, but it will be even more so with President Donald Trump in attendance. He was seen with the World Cup trophy earlier, and he’s expected to present it to the winner of Sunday’s match.
There will be a larger than usual half-time show, packed with superstar performers like Madonna, Shakira, BTS and Justin Bieber.
New Jersey Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri, who touted the service for efficiently moving fans to and from MetLife for the previous seven World Cup matches.
Fans heading to the match are being urged to arrive by 1:30 p.m. Shuttle service begins at 9:30 a.m., while NJ Transit rail service starts at 10:30 a.m. Stadium gates open at 11 a.m., followed by a fan experience. The closing ceremony begins at 1:30 p.m., with kickoff scheduled for 3 p.m.
Gridlock Alert/Street closures
Gridlock Alert traffic conditions will also be in effect on Sunday, and will include the following street closures:
– West 40th East from 11th Ave to 8th Ave
– West 41st St. between 8th Ave. and 12th Ave.
– West 42nd St. both ways between 1st and the West Side Highway – bus lane
– 5th and 6th avenues have 2 dedicated bus lanes between 42nd and 59th St.
– West 32nd St. between 7th and 6th ave.
– West 33rd will be closed between 7th and 8th avenues
Tri-State watch parties
Even if you’re not one of the lucky fans to be in attendance for the game, plenty of watch parties will be held throughout the Tri-State area on Sunday.
There will be more than 100 watch parties around New York City and New Jersey.
Roughly, 50,000 soccer fans are expected to watch the Great Lawn in Central Park.
While it is free, you needed to score a lottery ticket to get in.
You can find a list of watch parties here.
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