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NJ Transit reduces World Cup fares, will still charge $105 for trains to games
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published May 7, 2026
Modified May 9, 2026
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Dustin Satloff/Getty aImages
By
Ramsey Khalifeh
Published May 7, 2026
Modified May 9, 2026
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NJ Transit officials on Thursday announced it'll charge $105 for train tickets to this summer’s World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium, down from the previously planned $150, after it secured funding from private donors.
New Jersey officials last month said they planned to raise its fares to the Meadowlands for the games to cover the $48 million it would take to run the service, an amount that included the cost to meet security requirements imposed by FIFA.
But that changed this week. Officials said donors will cover some of the costs, but did not disclose who put up the money or how much they gave.
New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill has over the last two months repeatedly said that New Jersey taxpayers wouldn’t bear the brunt of the cost for transit to the games.
“Gov. [Mikie ] Sherrill committed that she would not impose any financial burden on New Jersey commuters and taxpayers for FIFA-related transportation costs,” NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri wrote in a statement. “Understanding how important it is for New Jersey to showcase the state to the world, she asked NJ Transit to find private sponsorships and other sources to reduce the cost of the ticket.”
FIFA officials previously said they negotiated with former Gov. Phil Murphy, as well as leaders of other host World Cup cities, and agreed New Jersey would provide service to the games "at cost."
“The governor appreciates all the companies that have already stepped up to lower the costs for ticket holders,” said Sherrill spokesperson Steve Sigmund.
When NJ Transit first announced the sky-high ticket prices last month, the agency announced a flurry of other changes for riders on the eight days that matches will be held at MetLife Stadium. The railroad is giving World Cup ticketholders priority at Penn Station. Fans heading to the games will be the only ones allowed to board NJ Transit trains from the Manhattan train hub, and they’ll have to show their tickets and get a wristband before boarding. The transit agency will only sell 40,000 train tickets to each game, enough to cover about half the attendees.
Another 10,000 attendees can take shuttle buses to the games, priced at $80 according to the New York-New Jersey Host Committee. The roughly 30,000 remaining attendees will either take FIFA-sponsored “VIP” transport, get dropped off, or pay to park at the neighboring American Dream mall. FIFA has banned fans from parking their cars in the stadium’s lots due to the heightened security.
NJ Transit also said all its trains headed to Manhattan for purposes other than World Cup transit will terminate at Newark Penn Station or Newark Broad Street for up to three hours after each match to curb congestion at the Midtown train hall.
Officials said they wanted to avoid a repeat of the 2014 Super Bowl, when riders were stuck on train platforms for hours trying to get home.
The reduction of NJ Transit’s World Cup train fare comes after the agency’s board gave Kolluri sweeping powers to adjust schedules, fares and issue contracts to run service to the games.
The $105 train tickets go on sale May 13. Fans can purchase them on NJ Transit’s website.
Tagged
World Cup 2026
new jersey
new york city
transportation
Ramsey Khalifeh
Ramsey Khalifeh is a transportation reporter on the NYC Accountability desk covering the largest transit system in the country. He was previously a general assignment reporter at Gothamist and worked on the Boston Globe's metro and copy desk. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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