NY-NJ World Cup host group failed to register with state | Exclusive

6-minute read

• Documents required to be filed by the NY-NJ World Cup host committee were delayed, filled with errors and missing information
• These documents are one of the few ways to track how the committee is raising and spending money, including at least $111 million in taxpayer dollars
• The NJ Attorney General was made aware of the missing documents because of a public information request by NorthJersey.com

The New York New Jersey World Cup host committee appears to have operated and solicited donations to support the 2026 World Cup soccer matches held in the Garden State for more than three years without having filed legally required paperwork with New Jersey’s attorney general, according to documents obtained exclusively by NorthJersey.com.

The host committee did not register its 501(c)(6) nonprofit with the Division of Consumer Affairs in the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General until June 4, 2026 — more than three years after the nonprofit was formed in February 2023.

Nelida O’Neill, who works in the Attorney General’s charities registration and investigation section, sent a “notice of unregistered charity” to the host committee on April 7, 2026 — only after NorthJersey.com filed a public information request seeking the registration documents on April 6.

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In addition, the host committee — which is staffed and overseen by a long list of people associated with former Gov. Phil Murphy, including his wife, board chair Tammy Murphy — made numerous errors on the paperwork it eventually submitted, such as missing documents and inaccurate information.

These documents are one of the few ways the state’s chief law enforcement officer, resident taxpayers and other members of the public can see how the host committee, which is the intermediary between FIFA and local governments, is spending and raising money, including dollars received from taxpayers, how that money is being spent and who is receiving it.

Michael Symons, a spokesman from the Attorney General’s Office, said the office would not comment on “what, if any, investigative or enforcement action is being considered,” but said failure to comply could result in civil penalties, suspension or revocation of a charitable organization’s registration.

The Attorney General’s Office is seeking additional missing documents from the host committee’s paid fundraisers, Symons added — an omission brought to its attention by NorthJersey.com.

Natalie Hamilton, a host committee spokeswoman, said the law requiring registration applies only to 501(c)(3)s, and that they registered their 501(c)(3) fundraising arm, the Welcome World Foundation, Inc.

“When the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs reached out to us earlier this year asking for a registration of the 501(c)(6) entity (New York New Jersey 2026 World Cup Host Committee, Inc.) for their database that includes both for-profit and nonprofit entities, we complied with the Division’s request and promptly provided all the information they asked for,” Hamilton said.

The law states that entities exempt from registering include certain religious organizations, educational institutions and those that do not receive gross contributions in excess of $10,000 during a fiscal year. The law does not say that 501(c)(6) nonprofits are exempt. Other 501(c)(6) organizations are registered and listed in the OAG’s public charities portal.

“Generally speaking, under New Jersey’s Charitable Registration and Investigation Act, charitable organizations that engage in fundraising activities that either raise more than $10,000 in gross contributions or compensate a third party for fundraising services must comply with certain conditions, including registering with the Division of Consumer Affairs’ Charities Registration and Investigation Section,” Symons said.

PKF O’Connor Davies Advisory, one of the largest accounting firms in the country, was listed as the host committee’s paid tax return preparer in federal tax filings from 2023 and 2024. In 2024, the host committee paid the Harrison, New York-based accounting firm nearly $218,000 for its accounting and bookkeeping services, according to federal tax documents.

PKF O’Connor Davies did not respond to a request for comment.

Missing documents, errors

Millions of taxpayer dollars were funneled and entrusted to the politically connected host committee and Welcome World Foundation to pay for costs related to the seven World Cup matches already played this June and July at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford and the World Cup final scheduled there on July 19.

There has been little transparency about how much the tournament is estimated to cost the New Jersey and New York governments and how much each expected to receive in tax dollars. Money from New Jersey was distributed over at least five budget cycles and some budget line items used opaque language like “international events, improvements and attraction.”

In addition to a more than three-year delay in registering, the host committee filed paperwork that contains inaccurate details and is missing information.

Some documents were never filed.

Here are more details about those issues:

• The registration document submitted June 4 was signed by Alex Lasry, the host committee’s CEO, and Wesley Mathews, the president of the host committee’s board. But the law requires at least one of the two signatories to be the nonprofit’s chief fiscal officer.
• The host committee’s June 4 registration document was for 2024, but the nonprofit did not provide the Attorney General’s Office with documents for 2023, the first year the nonprofit was formed, or 2025. Annual renewal registration is required within six months after a nonprofit’s fiscal year ends, which is Dec. 31 for the host committee.
• One question on the registration form requires the name and salary of the “five most-highly compensated executive staff employees.” The document provided by the host committee includes none, instead listing five unpaid board members.
• The host committee’s registration document identifies only Jafri Strategies as a hired private fundraiser, but the organization’s federal tax filings also show the host committee paid Griffin Partners LLC $120,000 in 2024 for “donor development and fund raising.” That wasn’t disclosed to the state.

‘There’s probably going to be mistakes’

The New Jersey Legislature strengthened its laws governing charities in 1994 to require nearly all nonprofits operating in the state to register with the AG’s office and gives that office the ability to “take strong action against those individuals who would defraud or abuse the public’s generosity for their own gain,” according to a commission document describing the changes.

As a result, New Jersey law states “it shall be unlawful for any charitable organization to solicit contributions or have contributions solicited on its behalf before the Attorney General has been given the opportunity to review the registration statement.”

In addition to registering, nonprofits must provide the AG’s office with additional documents, such as federal tax filings, bylaws, annual financial reports and management letters from its auditor.

Paperwork errors aren’t uncommon for nonprofit filings in New Jersey, said Aaron Moore, a professor of public relations and event planning at Rider University in Lawrence Township.

“There’s just so many things that have to be signed, so many times you’re going to have to have your accreditation be renewed,” he said.

When it comes to FIFA, the Swiss soccer organization behind the World Cup that has faced widespread accusations of fraud and corruption, Moore said to expect errors.

Because of FIFA’s reputation, people are often skeptical of them, Moore said. “If you check the paperwork, there’s probably going to be mistakes,” he said.

Taxpayer money at stake

The three-year delay in filing registration documents and then error-filled documents eventually filed by the host committee is especially significant because the host committee received at least $111 million in contributions from the state of New Jersey, New York State and New York City.

Of that $111 million, $61 million is from New York State and New York City, and $50 million is from New Jersey, according to reporting from NorthJersey.com and Politico. Included in New Jersey’s share is a $15 million loan, first approved by the New Jersey Sports and Exposition Authority in November 2022, that has to be paid back by the end of the year.

The committee also secured 20 sponsors for the tournament, but details about those transactions or how much money it raised is not yet known.

Outside of the host committee, New Jersey spent tens of millions to construct a new pedestrian bridge connecting parking lots between MetLife Stadium and the adjacent American Dream mall, prepare NJ Transit to transport up to 40,000 people per match, and cover costs associated with local police, emergency responders and tourism initiatives.

What happens when the host committee disbands?

Hosting mega events, such as the World Cup, comes with promises of putting host cities or states on the map and bringing in windfalls of tourist revenue via taxes and fees from shopping, dining and hotel stays.

But these events also come with significant expenses for local governments to provide security, transportation, emergency responders and, in the case of the World Cup, pay for FIFA-required stadium modifications, special grass for the field, even offices and possible tax breaks.

The host committee provides boots-on-the-ground to set up and execute the tournament in host regions, plans fan events in nearby communities, and raises money to support the tournament and lower costs for local governments.

But once the event ends, the nonprofit dissolves and there will be no organization, board or leadership to hold accountable if the event is not successful and taxpayer money was spent without the intended return.

Phil Murphy, the former governor whose eight-year administration handled the bulk of bidding and planning to host the World Cup, and who brokered controversial agreements to host the World Cup in New Jersey, was no longer in office by the time the tournament started in June.

Because of the transient nature of the World Cup, Moore doesn’t expect many consequences for the host committee’s bungled paperwork.

“There’s going to be no slap on the wrist,” Moore said. “There’s going to be nobody penalized because essentially this nonprofit will go away.”