World Cup Offers Major Moment for NJ Hispanic Community

This piece was originally published at NJBiz.com.

Imagine the World Cup Final at the Meadowlands.

Eighty thousand fans on their feet. Billions watching around the world. The roar of the crowd fades. A hush falls over the stadium. A single spotlight finds Jon Bon Jovi standing alone at midfield — no spectacle, no pyrotechnics, just a microphone, a guitar, and silence. He begins softly: “I’m in love with my first guitar…”

Then another voice joins him — warm, unmistakable, timeless. José Feliciano. Same lyric. Same melody. Two generations. Two cultures. One country.

For a moment, the match disappears. The stadium freezes.

That’s what it means to bring the house down.

This is not fantasy. It’s a vision rooted in history, culture, and economic reality — and it’s a moment the Hispanic community, particularly here in the New York-New Jersey region, has more than earned.

We’ve seen the power of authenticity on a national stage before. In 1968, Feliciano walked alone to center field at the World Series with nothing but his guitar and his truth. He slowed the national anthem, reshaped it, and shocked the nation. Critics recoiled. Radio stations turned away. And yet history caught up to the moment. That performance became the first national anthem ever to chart on Billboard and permanently changed how America experiences that song. 

More recently, Bad Bunny reminded us of the same truth. He didn’t dilute his culture to fit the Super Bowl stage. He elevated the stage by bringing his culture with him. It resonated. It connected. And it worked. 

Now consider what’s coming. 

The FIFA World Cup is the largest sporting event on the planet, and in 2026, it will be hosted in the United States. New Jersey isn’t just nearby — it sits at the center of one of the most powerful Hispanic markets in the world. 

According to regional economic analyses, the Hispanic GDP in the New York-New Jersey metropolitan area approaches $500 billion annually, making it one of the most influential consumer and business engines in the country. This is not a niche audience — it is a core market. It drives entrepreneurship, workforce growth, consumer spending, media reach, and global cultural influence. 

Markets are not abstract; they are communities. And when organizations seek to monetize a region’s passion, spending power, and cultural capital, the expectation is simple: recognition, partnership, and mutual respect. Anything less is not strategy. It’s missed opportunity. 

This region is also a soccer mecca. Hispanic families here don’t just watch the game — they sustain it. They fill stadiums, support clubs, build businesses around the sport, and pass down its traditions through generations. The economic footprint follows the passion. 

And yet, quietly and respectfully, many small, local, and diverse businesses across the region feel left out of the World Cup conversation. They want to contribute; they want to participate. They want to be part of the World Cup’s economic footprint, but too often the process feels distant, complex, and out of reach. 

This column is not an accusation. It’s an invitation. 

An invitation for FIFA and its partners to more deeply connect with the local economic fabric of the region they are entering. An invitation to recognize that culture is not only celebrated on the field, but successfully leveraged through inclusion, partnership, and acknowledgment off the field as well.

This anthem — this moment —  is not about celebrity. It’s about recognition. It’s about honoring a community that has been investing —  emotionally, culturally, and economically —  in this sport long before the world arrived.

New Jersey is ready.

The Hispanic business community is ready. And after all he’s given, doesn’t José Feliciano deserve his flowers?

Carlos Medina is president and CEO of the Statewide Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The views expressed here are his own and do not necessarily reflect those of any organization or institution with which he is affiliated.

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