Key Takeaways
- A 30-minute train from Manhattan to MetLife Stadium will cost fans $150 (£111) – eleven times the normal price.
- No discounts for children or seniors; bus alternative is $80 (£59) and all tickets cannot be refunded or swapped.
- England and Scotland supporters face the same high prices for group matches in New York and Boston areas.
Kenyan travellers planning to watch the 2026 World Cup in the United States should brace for steep match-day travel costs.
The Football Supporters’ Association (FSA) says ordinary fans are being “ripped off” after New Jersey rail operator NJ Transit set a special return fare of $150 for the short 18-mile trip between Penn Station and MetLife Stadium. The usual price is only $12.90.
Children and pensioners must also pay the full $150 because no concession fares exist. A seat on an official shuttle bus is slightly cheaper at $80, yet both rail and bus tickets are non-refundable and cannot be passed to another person.
Early reports suggested the train price would be $100, but the final figure released on Friday is 50 percent higher. MetLife Stadium, to be called “New York/New Jersey Stadium” during the tournament, will stage eight games, including the final on 19 July and an England group fixture.
Similar anger was sparked last week when transport to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, outside Boston, jumped to $80 for the train and $95 for the coach.
Thomas Concannon, who heads the FSA’s England fans’ group, told the BBC the costs are “astronomical” and make supporters feel unwelcome. “Travel was free in Russia 2018 and Qatar 2022. The U.S. bid even promised free journeys, yet here we are paying through the nose,” he said.
New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has blamed FIFA for refusing to cover transport bills, while football’s global body insists host cities can still provide “at-cost” travel. The huge mark-ups in New Jersey and Massachusetts suggest otherwise.
Not every host city is charging more. Arlington (Dallas) is running free shuttles, Kansas City set a $15 return bus fare, and Philadelphia kept its $2.90 match-day ticket. Such gaps only deepen the frustration.
England will play Ghana in Foxborough on 23 June and Panama at MetLife on 27 June. Scotland meet Haiti and Morocco at Gillette Stadium before heading to Miami to face Brazil. Parking prices add further pain: $225 at MetLife and $175 at Foxborough per car.
Supporters are already organising unofficial coaches to split costs. “Fans look after each other, but we shouldn’t have to solve this ourselves,” Concannon added.
High ticket prices and a surprise new “Front Category” sale—offering prime seats for up to triple the normal cost—add to the feeling that the tournament is geared more to profit than passion. “Every new announcement means higher costs,” Concannon said. “It’s a real shame.”