Published April 17, 2026
Soaring ticket prices won’t be the only thing draining the wallets of soccer fans attending World Cup matches at some U.S. venues this spring.
Fans trying to get to MetLife Stadium from New York City can expect to pay $150 in round-trip train fare for each game, transportation officials confirmed Friday.
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That’s nearly 12 times the regular price of $12.90 for the approximately 15-minute, 14-km (9-mile) journey from Penn Station in Manhattan to the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Most fans will not have access to on-site parking, so New Jersey officials expect about 40,000 fans to use public transportation for each game.
The home stadium of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets is scheduled to host eight World Cup games, including the final game on July 19th. Group stage matches between soccer powerhouses Brazil, France, Germany, England and other countries will begin on June 13th.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill suggested the increase was necessary to ensure that the state’s commuters would not be “for many years to come” hosting the World Cup, which returned to the United States for the first time since 1994.
New Jersey Department of Transportation officials said it will cost $62 million to transport fans to and from the stadium during the tournament, but only $14 million of the projected cost was covered by outside grants.
“This is not rate gouging,” New Jersey Transit President and CEO Chris Corulli told reporters Friday. “We’re literally trying to recover our costs.”
Taking public transportation to the World Cup games, which are held outside Boston, is also expensive.
Express bus fares from various locations to Gillette Stadium, home of the NFL’s New England Patriots, will cost $95, officials announced this week.
And thousands of fans have already secured $80 round-trip train tickets from Boston to the commuter station near the stadium. That’s four times the $20 round-trip ticket typically charged to riders during game days and other special events. Unlike MetLife, Gillette is not within easy reach of downtown. The stadium is located in Foxboro, a town about 48 kilometers (30 miles) south of Boston.
Other World Cup host cities, including Los Angeles and Philadelphia, have pledged to keep transit fares the same, noting that the U.S. government is providing about $100 million in transportation grants to host cities to enhance bus and rail service.
Kansas City offers shuttles from throughout the city to Arrowhead Stadium for just $15 round trip. There is also a free bus service from the airport to downtown. Houston, which will host seven World Cup games, said it is adding buses and trains for fan services but intends to keep fares at current levels. Bus and light rail fares cost $1.25, while park-and-ride options range from $2 to $4.50.
But New Jersey’s Democratic governor, who took office in January, said his administration inherited an agreement in which international soccer governing body FIFA provided “zero dollars in transportation costs” while leaving the state’s perpetually cash-strapped transportation agency “with a $48 million bill.”
“FIFA should pay for the ride. But if they don’t, I’m not going to give New Jersey a ride,” Sherrill said in a social media post Wednesday.
FIFA objected to the proposal, pointing out that agreements signed with World Cup host cities in 2018 called for free transportation for fans to all matches. He also claimed that other large-scale events held at MetLife have not required fans to cover transportation costs.
“We are extremely surprised by the New Jersey Governor’s approach today regarding fan transportation,” the group said in a statement Thursday, when reports about the fees began to emerge. “FIFA has worked with host cities for years on transportation and mobility planning, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host city transportation.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also opposed MetLife’s massive fare increase.
“Charging over $100 for a short train ride seems extremely expensive to me,” the Democrat posted on X earlier this week.
The price hike was first reported by sports media outlet The Athletic.
If you take the train to a game at MetLife Stadium, the cost will be about the same. Parking spaces at the nearby American Dream Mall are limited and are currently on pre-sale for $225.
