Looking to take the planning and preparation for the FIFA 2026 World Cup to another level, the state announced Tuesday morning that Alex Lasry has been named CEO of the NY/NJ Host Committee, and that he will lead the committee on a day-to-day basis moving forward.
Lasry, who most recently served as the deputy assistant secretary for travel and tourism at the U.S. Department of Commerce (from January 2023 to January 2025) has a sports marketing background, too.
Before working in Washington, Lasry was a longtime executive of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks.
In his role, Lasry will work closely with co-host city managers Lauren LaRusso and Bruce Revman, who have been instrumental in coordinating the region on the event, including leading the successful effort to land the final.
Lasry also will work with first lady Tammy Murphy, who was appointed Tuesday morning to lead a five-member board of trustees for the host committee.
Lasry said he’s eager to get started.
“I am so impressed by the work that has already been done to prepare for this momentous occasion, and I look forward to working with our dedicated team and our partners in public safety, hospitality, public transportation, tourism, and more to ensure the FIFA World Cup 2026 experience is remarkable for all residents of and visitors to this remarkable region,” he said.
Lasry said he knows there’s no time to wait.
“With less than 500 days until the first match of the tournament (June 11, 2026), the urgency and excitement are palpable here in the NYNJ region and around the world,” he said.
Lasry told ROI-NJ he feels his experience in business, sports, government, fundraising, travel, tourism and community-building should benefit the next phase of the host committee’s work.
His role will be to help bring awareness of the event through marketing — and assist the even through fund-raising and sponsorships.
“I think all of those roles — awareness, marketing, sponsorship — all feed into each other,” he said. “I think what we’re going to try to do over these next 500 days is to build off of what Lauren and Bruce have already put together. They’ve set the table for where we are today, and now it’s up to all of us to take it into this next evolution.
“That’s on execution, and making sure that over these next 500 days, New York/New Jersey starts to really feel the World Cup.”
Lasry said the key is ensuring that everyone understands the event is about so much more than just the matches. In fact, many of the people who come for the event will never actually go to a game.
“Some of the most exciting parts of the World Cup happen outside the stadium,” he said.
That’s OK – and doesn’t diminish the impact, Lasry said. In fact, it only adds to it.
“The economic benefits to the region are going to be unprecedented,” he said. “I don’t think we’ve ever seen an event like this, not just from the billions of dollars of direct economic impact, but also on soft economic impact from marketing, from tourism – and not just from around MetLife Stadium and in New York City, but I think it’s pushing tourism and people to those non gateway areas.
“We’re going to be making sure that that we’re working with our partners in New York and New Jersey, so that people are visiting all that these two states have to offer, because they’ve got more to offer than just the stadium and the city.”
Lasry said the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup – where teams not nations compete for the title – will serve as a table-setter for the region this summer (June 14 to July 13).
“It will be a dry run for the World Cup,” he said. “It can help give us a sense of what some of the transportation and security hurdles might look like and show us how to make sure that everything’s running smoothly.”
Lasry also thinks it’s a chance to show the region and the world how excited people are in this region for soccer.
“We’ve seen the rich history of soccer in this region,” he said. “I think it’s just another example of soccer kind of helping take over the United States, and the growth we’re seeing of soccer in the U.S.
“I think the Club World Cup being here just shows all that this region has to offer. And again, why we were picked to host the FIFA World Cup and the final in particular.”
Lasry said he’s eager to tell that story to the New Jersey business community – which should expect to see him all over the state in the coming weeks and months.
“You’re going to get tired of seeing me,” he joked.
“We’re going to be working with businesses and Chambers of Commerce and local governments on being prepared for what’s going to happen, because I think it’s going to be unlike anything anyone’s ever seen,” he said.
The key, Lasry said, is for the region to realize the time to plan for the 2026 World Cup is now.
“We want to make sure that that everyone knows that this is going to be here before we know it,” he said.
