Midge Purce Steps Up to Champion NJ/NY as a Proud World Cup Host City Ambassador

With just over 60 days remaining before the men's FIFA World Cup arrives on North American soil, NJ/NY Gotham FC's Midge Purce is already laying the groundwork to spotlight the New York/New Jersey region as a host city.

"People keep asking me how it feels to live in one of the host cities, but I'm living in the host city—this is where the final is happening, right in our backyard," Purce says. "I understand the historical weight of this moment, and I know I'll be telling my grandchildren that I lived in New York the year the World Cup final was held at MetLife [Stadium] and I was there."

The two-time National Women's Soccer League champion joins two-time Super Bowl winner Eli Manning and NCAA national champion and New York Knicks guard Josh Hart as official NYNJ World Cup 2026 ambassadors.

The three will represent the region on the world stage in the buildup to and throughout the tournament, leveraging their voices and platforms to celebrate the community and drive fan engagement.

"I was truly honored [to be asked]. Before they even explained what it involved, I said, 'Absolutely, I'm in!'" Purce says of the ambassadorship. "Being able to play a part in one of the biggest tournaments on the planet is incredible to me, especially in a role that carries so much prestige. We're genuinely welcoming the rest of the world to this part of the country. That means everything to me, and I take it very seriously."

For Purce, her passion for soccer stretches back to early childhood, and memories of watching the World Cup—both men's and women's—have deeply influenced her love of the game, including iconic moments like Dutch striker Robin van Persie's diving header against Spain.

"June 13th, 2014, van Persie's header," Purce says. "I remember sitting in front of the TV thinking, Is that even physically possible? That was absolutely insane."

Purce, who joined Gotham FC in 2020, has long been a fixture in the NY/NJ soccer scene. Through her time with the USWNT and her success at Gotham, Purce is well-versed in using her platform for meaningful causes. As an ambassador, she hopes to amplify not only the World Cup but also the people who call the NY/NJ area home.

"What I'm most excited about is the community impact," Purce says. "There's an idea I've been sitting on for a while that I hope will resonate on a community level—being able to share the game in a truly special way with kids and people who may not be as familiar with European football."

While she's keeping the specifics under wraps for now, she emphasized that the community-focused dimension of her role is about showing the world that people in NY/NJ look out for one another.

"Eli [Manning] and I were discussing how important it is that even as the rest of the world descends on this area, the people who actually live here feel like this global moment truly belongs to them as well," she says.

Manning and Purce are no strangers to collaboration, having connected when he joined Gotham FC's ownership group as a minority investor in 2022. Over that time, Purce has come to know the NFL legend well enough to pay him the ultimate compliment: a comparison to USWNT star and Gotham teammate Rose Lavelle.

"I've known Rose for a very long time, since we were kids, and through all of her achievements—and she's one of the most accomplished women's soccer players in the world—she hasn't changed one bit," Purce says. "She stays true to who she is, how she treats people, and I think that's one of the most genuine, authentic qualities that so many people end up losing. Eli is the same way—he's so grounded, a bit of a goofball sometimes, and it's genuinely refreshing to be around him."

Together with Hart, the ambassadors are committed to showcasing the very best of the NY/NJ region, which for Purce comes down to the richness of its people. From her own experiences playing pickup soccer around the city to participating in charity events like the Steve Nash Foundation Showdown, Purce has made a point of immersing herself in the local soccer community whenever she has time away from matches at Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, N.J.

"New York and New Jersey are so beautifully diverse, filled with people who have football woven into their culture," she says. "That makes this area an even more extraordinary place for the sport."

Just days before the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium, Purce will have a few matches of her own to focus on. On July 15, Gotham will face Trinity Rodman and the Washington Spirit in a special one-off event at Citi Field—a rematch of the 2025 NWSL final, which Gotham claimed 1–0.

The Queens Classic, as the event is known, is on pace to shatter the attendance record for a women's sporting event in New York City. With 10,000 tickets already sold and a venue capacity exceeding 40,000, the timing of the match alongside the World Cup could be the perfect catalyst to draw greater attention to women's soccer in the region.

"We've been talking for a long time about making sure we're playing in the right venues to genuinely invite more people to invest in what we're doing—because the quality of play is absolutely not the issue," Purce says. "It's going to be really exciting to play at Citi Field and put these two teams on display, because we almost never have a dull match between us."

More Soccer from Sports Illustrated

Jenna Tonelli is a writer for Sports Illustrated Soccer. She is passionate about women's soccer, particularly the NWSL, USWNT, and the Italian women's national team. When not thinking about soccer, Jenna can be found drinking iced coffee and rooting for the Buffalo Bills.