FIFA World Cup 2026 Communications Support
McCormick Taylor supported the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) in preparations for an influx of tourists and sports fans during the summer of 2026. Preparation work included an informational campaign, using physical and digital media as well as designing a website to house more information.
The Challenge
Every four years, the FIFA World Cup™ tournament draws thousands of visitors to its host countries during the months of June and July. With East Rutherford, New Jersey and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania being two of the eleven locations in the US hosting FIFA World Cup™ tournament games in 2026, NJDOT anticipated the need for proactive communications to tackle associated traffic challenges. In addition to matches in East Rutherford and Philadelphia, fan festivals with live match broadcasts, music, and performances were anticipated to attract crowds to communities throughout New Jersey. In addition, large-scale events were planned during the tournament in New York and Philadelphia to celebrate the United States’ 250th birthday in the weeks leading up to July 4th. With these large-scale events occurring simultaneously, NJDOT set out to reduce local and commuter traffic from the state’s transportation system with an advanced communications campaign.
How We Helped
McCormick Taylor’s Planning & Communications and Creative Services teams helped NJDOT Communications with a creative campaign to minimize local and commuter traffic during the FIFA World Cup tournament. The campaign encouraged employees and residents to avoid travel, share rides, work remotely, and plan alternate routes on match days as much as possible. The team designed and developed the website, NJDOTWorldCup.nj.gov, which contained a toolkit for municipalities and employers to help spread the word about traffic suppression on match days. The toolkit contained:
- Talking points
- Travel hotspot maps
- Social media graphics, captions, and hashtags
- Flyers
- Text for newsletters and websites
- PowerPoint slides
- Calendar invitations for match days
In addition to designing all of the creative materials, the McCormick Taylor team developed a webinar to promote the materials to Metropolitan Planning Organizations and other agencies, like the NJ Turnpike Authority, Delaware River Port Authority, the New Jersey Sports and Entertainment Authority, Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, NJ Transit, Visit New Jersey, and the City of Philadelphia. Emails promoting the toolkit to be distributed via Governor’s Office, Transportation Management Associations, and the New Jersey League of Municipalities were also developed.
The Results
The team is in the process of analyzing website and social media analytics for the campaign. Early results show that the website and associated toolkit materials have been viewed 29,300 times and downloaded over 2,200 times.
