"Pay $150 for a 15-Minute Ride"...Soccer Fans Outraged Over 12-Fold Fare Hike

From $12.9 to $150... Overlapping with Commuting Hours
Authorities: "Not Intended for Profit"

During the 2026 North America World Cup, the round-trip train fare from New York City to the stadium where the final will be held is expected to surge by as much as 12 times.

MetLife Stadium, the planned venue for the 2026 North America World Cup final match. Instagram capture

On April 17 (local time), international media outlets including the Associated Press reported, citing an announcement by New Jersey Transit (NJ Transit), that during the World Cup in June and July, the round-trip train fare between Penn Station in Manhattan, New York City, and MetLife Stadium in New Jersey has been set at $150 (about 220,000 won).

The distance between these two points is about 15 kilometers, which can be covered in roughly 15 minutes. Normally, the round-trip fare is only $12.90, but during the World Cup, passengers will have to pay a fare nearly 12 times higher.

Since no parking will be provided for general spectators at the stadium, authorities expect around 40,000 people per game to use public transportation.

MetLife Stadium will host a total of eight World Cup matches, including the final on July 19. Notably, from four hours before the start of each match, regular commuter services to New Jersey will also be restricted, and since six out of the eight matches overlap with rush hour, concerns have been raised about inconvenience for local residents.

The Associated Press noted, “This spring, at some U.S. host cities, the main culprit draining soccer fans’ wallets will not be just ticket prices.” The New York Times also reported, “The steep increase in fares for a 15-minute trip has outraged both commuters and soccer fans.”

The primary reason for such high fares is that the total transportation cost for the stadium is $62 million, while only $14 million can be covered by external subsidies. NJ Transit maintains that the fare increase is inevitable because the additional costs of hosting the World Cup should not be shouldered by New Jersey residents.

Chris Kolluri, CEO of NJ Transit, said, “This measure is not aimed at generating profits,” and added, “We are not trying to make excessive gains from anyone.”

Mikie Sherrill, the Democratic governor, is demanding that FIFA share the transportation costs. In contrast, FIFA has responded that it has never been asked to cover ‘arbitrarily set’ transportation fares at international events. FIFA also pointed out that other U.S. host cities, such as Los Angeles, Dallas, and Houston, have frozen their transportation fares.

FIFA stated, “The fare increase by NJ Transit will inevitably push fans to other means of transportation,” and warned that “this will cause traffic congestion and delays in reaching the stadium, ultimately undermining the economic benefits that the region could gain from hosting the World Cup.”

Meanwhile, during the 2018 Russia World Cup, public transportation, including intercity travel, was provided free of charge to ticket holders.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.