Key Takeaways
- New Jersey leader Mikie Sherrill says Fifa must cover the $48 million rail cost for moving 40,000 fans to each match.
- A return ticket from New York Penn to MetLife Stadium could jump from $12.90 to more than $100 during the tournament.
- Fifa insists cities were told in 2023 that ticket holders would pay “at cost” transport, not ride for free.
New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill has warned Fifa that her commuters will not bankroll World Cup travel after reports that match-day rail fares could hit $100 for a round trip.
MetLife Stadium, chosen to stage eight games including the final on 19 July, is usually reached for $12.90 from Manhattan. A sharp rise to over $100 was floated this week, with no discounts for children, seniors or disabled passengers. NJ Transit says the figure is not yet fixed.
Sherrill, elected last year on a cost-of-living pledge, told listeners on WNYC radio that the previous administration signed a deal “giving Fifa zero responsibility for transport”. She said the Swiss-based body will earn $11 billion from the event while some final tickets cost $10,000, so “they should pay for the trains”.
The governor added that if Fifa refuses, she will still raise the fare rather than force everyday travellers to subsidise the gap. “I won’t dump a $48 million bill on New Jersey families,” she said.
On Wednesday the NJ Transit board backed her stance, voting unanimously to let chief executive Kris Kolluri set prices high enough to cover the full expense of hauling an expected 40,000 spectators per game. Kolluri told NJ.com that regular season-ticket holders “will not cross-subsidise football tourists”.
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani supported Sherrill, arguing that Fifa “off-loads costs onto cities” and must help keep the event affordable.
In a written reply, Fifa said it removed a 2018 clause that had demanded free travel for fans. A 2023 update tells host cities to provide transport “at cost” on match days. The governing body also claimed it lobbied Washington for federal grants to ease city budgets.
Sherrill has already scrapped a $5 million fan festival at Liberty State Park, diverting the cash to smaller free watch parties around the state. Similar fare hikes are appearing elsewhere: Boston’s commuter rail will charge $80 instead of $20 for trips to Foxborough’s Gillette Stadium, another 2026 venue.