A train ticket from Penn Station to MetLife Stadium normally costs $12.90. During World Cup 2026, that same journey is being priced above $100. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has had enough of it — and she's pointing the finger directly at FIFA.
"We have inherited an agreement in which FIFA doesn't contribute a single dollar toward transportation for the World Cup," Sherrill posted on social media. "And while NJ Transit is left with a $48 million bill to safely transport 40,000 fans from the stadium to wherever they're headed, FIFA is generating $11 billion from this World Cup."
That gap is the whole story. An organisation banking $11 billion leaves the host state to absorb a $48 million logistics bill — and then fans get hit with an eightfold fare increase on top of it. Sherrill's position is simple: FIFA should pay, and if they won't, New Jersey taxpayers shouldn't be left covering it for years.
The pressure is building on Infantino
Sherrill isn't alone. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and New York Governor Kathy Hochul have both piled on. Hochul was blunt — "charging over $100 for a short train ride sounds awfully high to me" — and confirmed it won't be replicated on the MTA. Schumer went further, demanding FIFA cover transportation costs across all host cities and states. "New York commuters and residents should not subsidize an $11 billion windfall," he said.
None of this is happening in a vacuum. Boston has already confirmed it intends to quadruple return fares from the city centre to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough — from the standard rate to $80. England play Ghana there in their second group game. Scotland's opening two fixtures are at the same venue. Both sets of fans are going to feel this one.
England fans already calling it a rip-off
England's supporters group Free Lions — the Football Supporters' Association's Fans Embassy — reacted with weary frustration rather than shock. "We were initially told the prices would remain as standard," they said. "Another day, another rip-off at this World Cup. What on earth is going on?"
It's a fair question. Ticket-holders at Euro 2024 in Germany received discounted public transport as standard. That was a tournament that actually thought about the fan experience. The contrast with what's unfolding across the Atlantic is not flattering for FIFA or for the host arrangements they negotiated.
England play Panama in New Jersey in the group stage. Anyone travelling to that match by train from Manhattan should factor in a cost roughly equivalent to a cheap restaurant dinner — just to get to the ground and back.
"I'm not going to burden New Jersey taxpayers with that bill for years," Sherrill said. Whether FIFA moves or not, the political heat on Gianni Infantino over this tournament's costs is showing no signs of cooling down.
