New York City residents and tourists will have to shell out $150 for round trip train fare on NJ Transit to attend World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium.

NJ Transit on Friday announced the massive price hike for the tickets when the World Cup comes to the Tri-State area in June and July.

MetLife Stadium is scheduled to host eight matches, including the final on July 19.

The typical day-to-day price is $12.90.

The train ride from Manhattan’s Penn Station to East Rutherford, New Jersey, is a 9-mile route that takes approximately 15 minutes.

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“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,” New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill said.

“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,” she added.

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ESPN explained further:

NJ Transit officials said it would cost $62 million to transport fans to and from the stadium over the duration of the tournament, and that outside grants had defrayed only $14 million of those anticipated expenses.

“This isn’t price gouging,” NJ Transit president and CEO Kris Kolluri told reporters Friday. “We’re literally trying to recoup our costs.”

Taking public transit to World Cup matches in Boston’s suburbs will also be costly.

Express buses 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 snapped up $80 round-trip train tickets from Boston to the commuter rail station near the stadium. That’s four times the $20 riders are normally charged for a round-trip ticket during game days and other special events. Unlike MetLife, Gillette isn’t a short hop from downtown. The stadium is located in Foxborough, some 30 miles south of Boston.

Other World Cup host cities have pledged to keep their transit fares unchanged, noting that the U.S. government has provided some $100 million in transit grants to host cities to provide enhanced bus and rail service.

In Los Angeles, one-way fares will remain $1.75; in Atlanta, they’re locked at $2.50; in Houston, a single ride will still cost $1.25; and in Philadelphia the base fare for the subway will remain $2.90.

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Kansas City is running shuttles from locations around the city to Arrowhead Stadium that cost just $15 round trip. It’s also offering a free bus from the airport to downtown.

On-site parking won’t be available for most fans at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, forcing many fans to use public transit.

As an alternative, a round trip bus ticket will cost $80.

“New Jersey is ready and excited to host eight FIFA World Cup matches this summer – including the World Cup Final. Since I took office, my Administration has been working to prepare for the biggest sporting event our state has ever seen – and today, NJ TRANSIT released their Mobility Plan to move 40,000 fans to and from each match safely and efficiently. In the FIFA World Cup agreement that my Administration inherited, FIFA put zero dollars towards transporting World Cup fans. It also eliminated parking at MetLife Stadium, putting the burden of transporting four times more matchday riders than typical for an event at the stadium on NJ TRANSIT,” Sherrill said in another post.

“This agreement will cost NJ TRANSIT at least $48 million, while FIFA is positioned to make $11 billion during the World Cup. As I have said repeatedly, FIFA should cover the cost of transporting its fans. If it won’t, we will not be subsidizing World Cup ticket holders on the backs of New Jerseyans who rely on NJ TRANSIT every day,” she continued.

FIFA said it was “quite surprised by the NJ Governor’s approach on fan transportation,” according to NBC News.

“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,” it added.

NBC News has more:

To accommodate estimated crowds of 78,000 people per match, New Jersey Transit said it has encouraged local employers to allow employees to work from home. Because fans traveling to matches from New York via train can only use Penn Station, the authority said that on match days, only riders with match tickets will be allowed between Penn Station and New Jersey’s Secaucus Junction starting four hours before kickoff.

Getting to the stadium only represents one hefty price fans will pay. FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended high ticket prices to watch games that will take place this summer across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.

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“The main, and so far the only, revenue-generating event for FIFA is the World Cup,” Infantino said Friday at a conference in Washington, D.C. “The World Cup takes place one month every four years, so we generate money in one month. The 47 months until the next World Cup, we spend that money.”

 

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