Transport costs for matches at MetLife Stadium during the 2026 World Cup have been significantly reduced after supporters groups and local officials pushed back against pricing many described as excessive for a global football tournament.
Train fares from Penn Station in Manhattan to the venue dropped from $150 to $98, while shuttle bus tickets fell from $80 to $20 following the backlash. The standard return fare for the roughly 18-mile rail journey normally costs $12.90.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill announced the reductions on social media on Tuesday, attributing the cuts to commercial sponsorship secured without burdening local taxpayers. “Thank you to our partners for helping make this possible,” Sherrill wrote.
Thomas Concannon, leader of the Football Supporters’ Association England fan group, had earlier described the original fares as “astronomical” and completely outside the normal range of event transport pricing.
MetLife Stadium will be renamed New York/New Jersey Stadium during the tournament, in line with the Fédération Internationale de Football Association’s (FIFA) policy on corporate-sponsored venue names. The ground will host eight matches, including the final and one of England’s Group L fixtures.
Transport at the World Cups held in Russia and Qatar was provided free of charge, and the United States had originally committed to the same arrangement in its 2018 hosting agreement. A revision in 2023 changed that undertaking, with supporters instead required to travel at cost. FIFA had also maintained there was no precedent for transport surcharges at MetLife Stadium events.
Sherrill had previously challenged FIFA publicly over its refusal to subsidise fan travel, insisting taxpayers in New Jersey would not be left to cover any shortfall.
