Dubbed the “Sommermarchen,” or “summer fairy tale,” the 2006 World Cup in Germany was widely praised as a showcase of a modern, unified nation that welcomed fans from all over the world.
Part of its success was the “combi ticket” which allowed fans to use local public transport for free on match days.
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Since then, World Cup host countries have invested heavily in transporting fans to and from games, particularly in Russia in 2018, where long-distance trains between host cities were also free, and in Qatar in 2022, free subway use made stadium hopping part of the tournament experience.
Then came the United States.
Fans, already reeling from astronomical ticket prices, expensive flights and exorbitant hotel costs, are furious after learning they will face even higher bills if they take the train to some stadiums. Round-trip rail fares are $98 in New Jersey and $80 in Massachusetts. NFL fans typically pay $12.90 and $20 in transportation fees, respectively.
Officials insist they are not trying to deceive fans, but are simply trying to cover the costs of security and expanded rail service without wasting taxpayer money. But fans see this as another way tournament organizers are imposing burdens on fans who already pay large sums of money to visit the US, a huge car-centric country where public transport has long been an afterthought in many regions.
Unlike previous host countries, some state and local authorities have been reluctant to accept the costs, insisting that international soccer body FIFA, which collects billions of dollars from the tournament, should cover the costs.
“Planning this World Cup has been a nightmare from start to finish,” said Rory Phillips-Hunter, a 37-year-old Scottish-born hospitality worker who lives in the north of England. “I think it’s the most inaccessible place ever.”
Embarrassed by the lack of an affordable way to travel the 25 miles (40 km) from Providence, Rhode Island, to Foxboro, Massachusetts, where Scotland’s first two games will be played, Phillips-Hunter and his Tartan Army friends decided to take matters into their own hands.
The Scots team has booked about 20 school buses, each costing about $50, to take a group of about 1,000 plaid-wearing fans to each game. They also have a police escort and pay just over half the $95 bus fare offered by local authorities, totaling more than $85,000 in savings.
Phillips-Hunter knows a $95 bus fare will never amount to a lot of money, but he and many other Scots have already shelled out huge sums of money to see the men’s team play in the World Cup for the first time in 28 years. Phillips-Hunter estimates it will take two years to pay off the credit card debt he incurred for his six-day trip to the United States, including the $1,350 he paid for tickets to the Scotland-Morocco game.
Most of all, Phillips-Hunter is frustrated that a group of Scotsmen from across the ocean were able to arrange transport for far less than what local authorities were offering.
“When you look at this cost difference, that’s just the profit you’re taking away from us,” he said.
Not all host cities approach transportation in the same way. Atlanta, Houston, and Seattle have stadiums connected directly to the rail system, and regular fares apply. Miami-Dade County officials recently announced they will provide free shuttles to take fans to and from Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) from downtown Miami. Meanwhile, Philadelphia is offering free rides back from the stadium thanks to funding from FIFA sponsor Airbnb. Kansas City, Missouri offers a $15 shuttle bus.
Transportation costs for games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey and Gillette Stadium in Massachusetts are relatively high because the stadiums are located in suburban areas and fans typically drive to NFL games. However, during the World Cup, due to expanded security perimeters, broadcasting needs and the site being used as a VIP area, parking will be very limited and more fans will be forced to use public transport.
David Gogishvili is a senior researcher at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland who studies how sports organizers plan big events like the World Cup.
He said it was standard practice for organizers like FIFA to pass much of the cost on to the host country. The difference this time is that the US has “stronger and more independent” state and local officials who are less willing to foot the bill and “obey FIFA’s wishes.”
“These costs should be borne by the organization that derives revenue from these events, namely FIFA. It does not necessarily have to be the host city that bears all the costs,” Gogishvili said, noting the football association’s projected revenue of $13 billion from 2023 to 2026.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill (Democratic) called on FIFA to cover transportation costs to games.
But FIFA pushed back, saying no other global event had been asked to pay this much and that original agreements with host cities called for fans to travel to all matches free of charge. The agreement was later amended to allow cities to provide transportation “for a fee.”
Gogishvili said the reason transportation has been so accessible at recent World Cups is because host countries such as Russia and Qatar view the tournament as a “public relations campaign” and subsidize transportation accordingly.
Officials are also worried about travel costs, as hotel bookings in most of the 11 U.S. cities hosting the tournament have fallen short of expectations, raising concerns that the promised economic benefits of the World Cup will never materialize. A 2022 study co-authored by Gogishvili found that nearly every World Cup from 1966 to 2018 was held with a budget deficit.
Jonah Freemark, a transportation researcher at the Washington-based Urban Institute think tank, said World Cup fans from Europe and Asia will encounter a less advanced but more expensive transportation system than they are used to in their home countries.
Freemark said authorities are “trying to get away with murder,” pointing to traffic charges related to matches in New Jersey and Massachusetts. Waiting times and transport access are likely to be far below what many foreign tourists are accustomed to, he added.
Inara Correa da Costa, a Brazilian systems analyst who lives on the outskirts of São Paulo, will be playing in her seventh World Cup.
Like many people, she was stunned when officials initially proposed charging her as much as $150 for the train ride from New York City to MetLife Stadium, where the opening games against Brazil and Morocco would be held. As the shock spread, New Jersey officials lowered the price to $98 after securing additional funding.
But even lower prices for short train rides are “totally unacceptable,” Costa said.
Costa was encouraged by the local organizing committee’s announcement that it had secured more buses to the stadium and reduced fares from $80 to $20. But there are only enough bus seats to carry 18,000 fans to the stadium, which has a capacity of about 82,500.
That seems much easier for Costa to handle. Previously, she thought she and other cost-conscious fans might have to walk to MetLife Stadium, but that’s not possible.
“I’m going to the game, I know it,” Costa said. “But how? Let’s see.”
