With public transit costs for getting to and from World Cup games repeatedly reaching or exceeding $100 each way, New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill is asking FIFA to help subsidize the expense.
According to The Athletic, train tickets from New York’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., will top $100 for World Cup games. The standard fare for that route is $12.90.
“I won’t stick N.J. commuters with that tab for years to come, that’s not fair,” Sherrill posted on X. “FIFA should pay for the rides, but if they don’t, I’m not going to let N.J. commuters be taken for one.”
The official train ticket cost has yet to be announced, but The Athletic reported that Sherrill, the local World Cup host committee and NJ Transit all declined to deny that it would be above $100.
Sherrill tweeted, “We have inherited an agreement in which FIFA doesn’t contribute a single dollar toward transportation for the World Cup. And while NJ Transit is left with a $48 million bill to safely transport 40,000 fans from the stadium to wherever they’re headed, FIFA is generating $11 billion from this World Cup.
“I’m not going to burden New Jersey taxpayers with that bill for years.”
A day earlier, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul tweeted, “The World Cup should be as affordable and accessible as possible. Charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me.”
The backlash about New York’s transportation pricing comes in the wake of news regarding similar costs in Massachusetts. Train tickets from Boston to Foxborough, Mass., for World Cup games will cost $80, and bus rides will be priced at up to $95.
A FIFA spokesperson responded early Thursday with a statement outlining the “mobility plans” to support host cities.
“We are quite surprised by the NJ Governor’s approach today on fan transportation. The original FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City Agreements signed in 2018 required free transportation for fans to all matches. Recognizing the financial strain this placed on the host cities, back in 2023 FIFA adjusted the Host Agreement requirements across all host cities as follows: All Match Ticket holders and accredited individuals shall be able to access transport (public or additionally planned transport) at cost to allow travel to Stadiums on match days.
“Moreover, FIFA has worked for years with host cities on their transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation.
“The FIFA World Cup will bring millions of fans to North America along with the related economic impact. Many of these fans will travel to NYNJ to enjoy the eight matches scheduled, including the FIFA World Cup Final. FIFA is not aware of any other major event previously held at NYNJ Stadium, including other major sports, global concert tours, etc., where organizers were required to pay for fan transportation.”
–Field Level Media
