NJ Transit World Cup train tickets see eyepoppingly slow sales ahead of upcoming tournament
MetLife Stadium will host its first World Cup game next Saturday, but it does not look like many fans at the moment will be taking public transportation there.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 New York New Jersey Host Committee and NJ Transit originally announced that round-trip train tickets to and from the stadium will cost $150 — a normal ticket from Penn Station to MetLife Stadium is $12.90. However, after extra private funding, tickets have since been lowered to $98.
NJ Transit is planning to transport 40,000 people for each of MetLife Stadium's eight games, but according to The Athletic, as of Monday at 5 p.m. ET, only 17,739 total tickets have been purchased across the entirety of the eight-game slate.
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That is less than 6% of the 320,000 tickets available.
As of 3 p.m. ET on Tuesday, train schedules are not yet available, but fans can purchase tickets in select departure time windows, ranging from one to five hours before kickoff.
Fans have been encouraged to buy tickets in advance, as they will not be available for purchase on game day.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill and FIFA exchanged blows about the ticket prices, with Sherrill imploring FIFA to pay for fans to attend the games.
"Our administration inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup — zero. That leaves New Jersey Transit with a $48 million bill to safely get 40,000 fans to and from every game..." Sherrill said in a video.
"I won't stick New Jersey's commuters with that tab for years to come — that's not fair. So here's the bottom line: FIFA should pay for the rides, but if they don't, I'm not going to let New Jersey commuters get taken for one."
FIFA said it was "quite surprised" at Sherrill's unprecedented "approach."
"FIFA World Cup will bring millions of fans to North America along with related economic impact," FIFA said. "Many fans will travel to NYNJ to enjoy the eight matches scheduled. FIFA is not aware of any other major event previously held at NYNJ Stadium, including other major sports, global concert tours, etc., where organizers were required to pay for fan transportation."
Many travel restrictions have been placed on game days as well, including NJ Transit service into and out of New York being suspended beginning four hours before matches start, except for World Cup attendees. There also will be no parking at MetLife Stadium, and rideshare will also be unavailable on stadium property. Instead, rideshare users will be dropped off near the racetrack adjacent to the stadium.
The first match features Brazil and Morocco, and MetLife Stadium is also hosting the championship on July 19.