The upcoming 2026 World Cup has been labelled as the most expensive World Cup in history, with ludicrous ticket prices. But the problem goes beyond the seats, as was made clear this week when The Athletic reported that train tickets between New York to New Jersey (location of the MetLife Stadium, which will host eight matches including the final on July 19), skyrocket on match days: a 30-minute journey between Penn Station and the MetLife Stadium usually costs $12.90, but could cost over $100 during World Cup, with no discounts for children or senior.
Mikie Sherrill, New Jersey Governor, put all the blame on FIFA because the football governing body should subsidy public transportation to the State. "We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup. And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion", she said, justifying the decision to charge more for train tickets for tourists with the compromise to not increase fares the rest of the year for the local residents and taxpayers.
"I'm not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come. FIFA should pay for the rides. But if they don't - I'm not going to let New Jersey get taken for one", Sherrill said, pointing that FIFA is making $11,000 off the World Cup, and charging fans up to $10,000 for a ticket in the final.
According to BBC Sport, similar price hikes have been observed in other cities, like Foxborough (Boston), with train tickets rising to $80.
