As soccer fans voice their anger over the cost to attend this year’s FIFA World Cup, NJ Transit has wilted under pressure and slashed its train ticket prices yet again.
Fans already face exorbitant costs to attend games, between expensive hotel rooms, airfare and up to four-figure ticket prices. Yet host cities across the U.S., Mexico and Canada have caused tensions to boil as they raise the price of public transportation tickets well beyond their typical cost.
Officials in New Jersey, where the New York/New Jersey Stadium – usually known as MetLife Stadium – is located, are seemingly trying to help ease that burden. NJ Transit had previously set round-trip tickets at $150 for the roughly 9-mile journey from Penn Station. However, following tremendous backlash, lowered the price to $105, and then to $98 on Tuesday.
The cost of a bus ticket from New York City to the matches also decreased drastically on Tuesday, with New York Gov. Kathy Hochul announcing the price would go from $80 to $20.
The high cost is clearly impacting fans’ ability to get to matches. The demand for hotel rooms during the World Cup has also fallen short of expectations, in part due to visa barriers and geopolitical concerns keeping people from traveling, according to a study.
President Donald Trump blasted the high cost to attend the World Cup, telling The New York Post earlier this month he was shocked to learn fans were being quoted four-figure prices for some of the cheapest seats in the arenas.
“I did not know that number,” Trump said. “I would certainly like to be there, but I wouldn’t pay it either, to be honest with you.”
The president isn’t the only one to express outrage over the costly event. While five million tickets have already been sold to the soccer extravaganza, fans have been felt shut out due to the record-high costs.
“Global football still tries to adhere to this idea of a more populist aspiration about the accessibility of the game. That’s basically become a fiction, and this is the corporatization of World Cups on steroids,” Andrés Martinez, a soccer author, told The Hill.
Some have noted similarities to the last World Cup in Qatar in 2022, where the most expensive final ticket was roughly $1,600 at face value. This year, the top-priced ticket for the final match is about $11,000 at its original cost.
Meanwhile, free events will be held across New York City for fans who don’t want to spend an arm and a leg on tickets.
“Every fan should be able to watch the greatest tournament on earth without dipping into their savings,” Mayor Zohran Mamdani, a noted soccer fan, said.
The criticism has mounted to legal action, with fan group Football Supporters Europe filing a lawsuit with the European Commission in March accusing FIFA of “excessive ticket prices.” FIFA President Gianni Infantino has defended the massive costs, arguing that they reflect how expensive it is to do business in the U.S.
While NJ Transit’s new $98 offering may seem like a sweet deal compared to its original $150 price, a train ticket on any other day to the stadium from Penn Station typically costs about $13.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill, who had been feuding with FIFA online over the costs, said the state was able to lower the price of train tickets thanks to commercial sponsors.
The New York/New Jersey Stadium will be hosting eight games between June 13 and July 19, including the final.
New Yorkers aren’t alone in facing steep transport costs, however. Officials in Boston have also faced backlash for increasing the cost of public transportation specifically for people attending the World Cup.
Fans were left furious after Massachusetts transit officials announced that a train ticket to the Boston Stadium, usually known as Gillette Stadium, would set them back $80 — a steep increase from the $20 fare to Patriots games and concerts, and the typical $8.75 commuter rail fares. The stadium will host seven matches, including one featuring England’s national team.
Similar to New Jersey, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says its looking to recoup $35 million in costs for upgrades to the station ahead of the World Cup travel boom.
Several cities aren’t raising the prices of their public transportation — and are even offering fans free travel options.
Philadelphia will offer free trains for fans leaving World Cup matches this summer, while train tickets to get to the stadium will cost just $2.90. Fans who can prove they have tickets will also be able to take a free shuttle to Miami Stadium during the matches this summer, and in Southern California, taking the bus and train will cost even less — a mere $1.75 to get to the stadium, according to the LA Times.
“We’re trying to make things convenient,” said Conan Cheung, the chief operations officer of LA Metro.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer previously laid the pressure on Infantino over the cost to attend the event.
“The least FIFA can do is ensure New York residents can go to the stadium without being gouged at the turnstile,” he added. He also demanded that soccer’s international governing body cover “transportation costs for host cities and states” in the U.S. “New York commuters and residents should not subsidize an $11 billion windfall,” he said.
The New Jersey transportation tickets to the World Cup, which are non-transferable and non-refundable, went on sale on Wednesday. Only World Cup ticket holders will be able to purchase the round-trip tickets for the matches, which are being sold on NJ Transit’s mobile app.
The 2026 World Cup will be played across Mexico, Canada and the U.S., beginning June 11 and ending July 19.
The Independent has contacted NJ Transit and FIFA for comment.
