Another day, another controversy surrounding the cost of the 2026 World Cup for fans attending matches.
Mikie Sherrill, who took office as the new New Jersey governor less than three months ago, called on FIFA to help NJ Transit defray some of the cost of getting fans to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, where eight games will be played, including the final on July 19.
The Athletic reported that NJ Transit is planning to charge more than $100 for return rail tickets (ordinarily $12.90) from New York’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium on game day. On the debut of her “Ask Governor Sherrill” call-in show on WNYC, Sherrill said she is prepared to approve the $100+ tickets.
In a statement released on her X account, Sherrill said, “Our administration inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing zero dollars 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.
“At the same time, FIFA is making $11 billion off of this World Cup [2023-26 revenue], and charging fans up to $10,000 for a single ticket for the final. 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 what you may have seen some recent headlines about transportation.”
A day earlier, Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), the Senate minority leader, blasted FIFA for its hosting agreement that “dumps added transportation and security costs onto states and cities while FIFA keeps the revenue from tickets, broadcasting, and concessions. That is not a partnership, that is a shakedown because World Cup tickets already cost fans a fortune.” Schumer then called on FIFA “to step up and cover transportation costs for host cities and states.”
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