New Jersey’s transit agency has confirmed it will charge $150 for a return ticket to World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium this summer.
The price for a round-trip ticket from New York’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium is typically $12.90. Reports this week of the elevenfold increase were met with outcry from fans and sparked a back-and-forth between New Jersey’s governor, Mikie Sherrill, and world football’s governing body, with costs mounting across the board, including parking priced as high as $225 at the mall adjacent to the stadium.
NJ Transit and the New York/New Jersey host committee on Friday announced their plans for operations during the World Cup, which begins 11 June and runs to 19 July. MetLife Stadium will host eight matches, including the final. The $150 ticket will be a flat cost with no reduced options for children, seniors or people with disabilities. Fans will be required to purchase a special NJ Transit World Cup ticket that includes a wristband for return travel, with departures from Penn Station assigned in time blocks and multiple security checkpoints along the route.
A round-trip bus service is also being offered for $80, with pick-up from two spots in New York City and one park-and-ride location in New Jersey. That park-and-ride site, in Clifton, is expected to accommodate roughly 2,500 vehicles, with spectators required to complete their journey by shuttle bus. Tailgating will not be permitted at MetLife during the tournament.
In a social media post on Thursday, Sherrill said it would cost the state $48m to safely transport an estimated 40,000 fans to and from each match, and framed the ticket increases as necessary to avoid taxpayers shouldering those costs.
“Our administration inherited an agreement where Fifa is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup. Zero. That leaves New Jersey Transit with a $48m to safely get 40,000 fans to and from every game. At the same time, Fifa is making $11bn off of this World Cup, and charging fans up to $10,000 for a single ticket for the final. I won’t stick New Jersey commuters for that tab for years to come, that’s not fair. So here’s the bottom line: Fifa should pay for the rides, but if they don’t I’m not going to let New Jersey commuters get taken for one.”
Fifa pushed back on Sherrill’s comments, saying transport issues had been discussed well before the World Cup.
“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,” Fifa said in a statement.
“Fifa worked for years with host cities on transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation.”
NJ Transit also confirmed that there will be no outbound service from Penn Station available to non-ticket-holders for four hours before the start of the MetLife matches, a move that could impact a wide swath of regular commuters. Four of the eight matches at MetLife will take place on weekdays. Officials said the system is designed to move roughly 40,000 spectators per match, including about 28,000 via Penn Station and another 10,000 on shuttle buses. To mitigate disruption, NJ Transit said regular riders would be able to use Path trains and buses at no cost on affected days, with additional Path service planned and employers encouraged to allow remote work.
Sherrill, a Democrat, was elected New Jersey governor last year. Affordability was a key issue during her election race, and she has already announced the cancellation of the planned $5m fan festival at Liberty State Park in Jersey City. The funds will instead be used to stage smaller watch parties and events throughout the state.
“Commuters in New Jersey should not carry the costs years into the future for a wonderful event, no doubt, but the fans that are going to the games should bear the cost, and that’s all we’re trying to say,” NJ Transit chief executive Kris Kolluri said at a media briefing on Friday, Front Office Sports reported.
With parking opportunities set to be drastically reduced from their typical size at concerts and NFL games, ticket-holders are being encouraged to take public transit to games across the 11 US host cities. In its announcement, NJ Transit noted there would be “no general spectator parking on [MetLife] Stadium property on matchdays”; limited premium parking is listed as available for $225 in an ADA lot or at the American Dream mall next door, a 17-minute walk from the stadium. That pricing will be subject to demand, with availability expected to be limited. Rideshare users will be directed to drop-off points at the Meadowlands racetrack, requiring a walk of roughly one mile to the stadium.
The costs of those trips have been widely discussed, alongside the sky-high prices of match tickets. The Massachusetts transit authority has raised its prices for travel from Boston to Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium from $20 to $80.
Not every host city has followed the same approach. Kansas City earlier this week unveiled plans for $15 bus shuttles to Arrowhead Stadium for matches, while Philadelphia’s transit authority said it would maintain its $2.90 fares for riders going to Lincoln Financial Field.
