MW Prices for World Cup public transportation range from free to $150. Here's what's going on.
By Weston Blasi
In one instance, train fares are being inflated from $26 to $150
How much will it cost fans to get to the stadium for a World Cup match?
While a lot of World Cup headlines are focused on tickets to games that cost as much as $10,000, another noteworthy price battle is playing out when it comes to traveling to and from games on local transit.
In Philadelphia, a train ride home from matches will be free. Meanwhile, for World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, including eight matches and the final, an NJ Transit round-trip rail ticket from New York City's Penn Station will cost $150, up from the typical $12.90 each way. A special shuttle bus costing $80 is also being offered. And in Massachusetts, traveling to Gillette Stadium from Boston on any of the six match days will cost $80 by train, up from $20 regularly, or $95 for an express bus set up specifically for the tournament.
Philadelphia's World Cup host organization said Monday that it will offer free public transit to fans who are traveling home from Lincoln Financial Field via the state's Septa system, which operates buses, subways and trains. The fare to get to the stadium will remain its usual $2.90.
How is it that Philadelphia offering free transit during the World Cup, while many of the other cities hosting games are raising fares?
The Philadelphia host committee said it has secured a sponsorship with lodging platform Airbnb $(ABNB)$ to cover the cost of public transit after matches.
"FIFA World Cup belongs to the fans, and that means all fans - the lifelong soccer supporter, the family attending their first match or the visitor coming to Philadelphia for the very first time who wants to be part of this global party," Meg Kane, CEO of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, told MarketWatch. "Partnering with Airbnb to provide free rides home after every match is exactly the kind of fan-centered approach that reflects who we are as a city."
Jay Carney, global head of policy and communications for Airbnb, said in a statement that the company wanted to make the World Cup "more inclusive" and "deliver real benefits for local communities."
Other transportation authorities, in New York and Boston, for example, have not announced similar sponsorship deals and are hiking fares ahead of the World Cup to offset the cost of moving thousands of fans to and from matches. That difference reflects a broader divide in how cities are approaching the tournament, said Dennis Deninger, professor emeritus in Syracuse University's sports-management program.
"It's the state transit authority that is absorbing the cost - extra trains, extra personnel," he said.
In the U.S., public transit systems generally don't pay for themselves through fares. Instead, they are at least partly subsidized by local and state taxpayers.
NJ Transit President and CEO Kris Kolluri said the agency is charging World Cup fans what it costs to provide transportation services to them without subsidies - plus the cost for extra security, signs, labor and repairs.
"New Jersey commuters cannot and will not subsidize the movement of fans going to the game because that would not be fair," Kolluri said. He added that operational costs for a World Cup match are far higher than for NFL games, and that it will cost roughly $6 million per game to move 40,000 fans to MetLife stadium. "In order to move 40,000 people, and to pay for the cost of $6 million, we have to charge $150."
In an effort to not burden local taxpayers and to keep fares lower, officials like New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill have asked FIFA, the worldwide body that runs the World Cup, to cover the extra costs. Sherrill lamented the lack of funding from FIFA, adding that the football organization "is making $11 billion off of this World Cup" and "should pay for the rides."
In New York and New Jersey, daily commuters are not expected to have to pay more than their typical fares, but they may experience more congestion and delays on match days. Starting four hours before kickoff of every match at MetLife, service to New Jersey from New York Penn Station will be partially restricted.
FIFA is not providing funding for transportation in host cities and is not contractually obligated to do so, leaving host cities to either find private partners, absorb the costs or pass them on to fans.
Other venues and World Cup committees could still execute sponsorship deals like the one Philadelphia made with Airbnb, but none have been announced yet. Airbnb, a World Cup sponsor, has initiatives in other cities as well, but none that are focused on transportation. In New York and New Jersey, its investments were allocated to the construction of mini soccer fields, while in Houston, the funding was used to support a green corridor initiative.
"Nothing about what they are doing seems fan-friendly," Deninger said about the high prices of transit tickets across the U.S. "It's going to cost you a lot of money to get to the stadium in some places - $600 for a family of four."
Philadelphia will host six World Cup matches, including five group-stage games, including one between Brazil and France, as well as a July 4 knockout-round game.
But Philadelphia isn't the only host city keeping transit prices low. Kansas City introduced a more visitor-friendly pricing scheme, offering complimentary bus transportation between the airport and downtown for World Cup attendees. Round-trip bus service to the stadium, meanwhile, will cost $15 for a single match day, $25 for a week and $50 for the whole tournament, per local reports.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup takes place from June 11 through July 19 and is being held in the U.S., Mexico and Canada. This is the first time the U.S. has hosted the tournament since 1994.
-Weston Blasi
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April 21, 2026 14:40 ET (18:40 GMT)
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