Getty Image / Michael Loccisano/iStockPhoto/akasuu
New Jersey’s Met Life Stadium will be featured prominently throughout the 2026 World Cup as it will host eight matches, including the World Cup Final on July 19th. Despite Met Life Stadium’s proximity to NYC, the US city with the best public transit system in the country, trains to and from Met Life are being priced through the roof and fans attending matches in NJ are being nickel and dime’d before the Summer even starts.
This week, New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill spoke out against FIFA. She argued the deal with FIFA was in place before her term, that FIFA is providing $0 toward transit, and she is refusing to stick New Jerseyans with the bill. FIFA has since responded with a statement taking her down a peg.
Why Are New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill And FIFA Arguing?
As reported here on BroBible earlier this week, train ticket prices from Penn Station to Met Life Stadium are being priced at over $100. That is for the same train ride that is typically priced at $12.90 for anyone riding NJT, going to/from Jets and Giants games, or the American Dream Mall.
They are charging ~9x for these World Cup train prices!
NJ governor Mikie Sherrill released this video across all of her social media platforms on Wednesday. Standing in front of an NJT sign, Sherrill references ‘recent headlines’ about transportation costs in New Jersey. She proceeds to say “let me tell you exactly where things stand, our administration inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup. That leaves NJT with a $48 million bill to safely get 40,000 fans to and from every game.”
We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup.
And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion.
I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years… pic.twitter.com/pugU8davkW
— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) April 15, 2026
Okay. But what she is failing to explain here is that bill gets paid through the tickets. It is not as if NJT as not operated for large events at Met Life Stadium every week since its existence, and at the old stadium before that. Did they charge $100+ for NJT tickets when the Eras Tour was there? Did prices get gouged when the Super Bowl came to town?
The New Jersey governor then points out that FIFA is making $11 billion off of the 2026 World Cup. Nothing new here. FIFA is the most powerful sports organization in the world and the World Cup is the most popular sporting event on earth. Why though, should she expect FIFA to pay for people to get to/from the stadium? How is this in any way different from a Giants-Cowboys game with 40K+ in attendance?
FIFA Responds
In response to the New Jersey governor’s statement that she would not allow NJ residents to shoulder any of the bill (they’re not) for fans going to/from the World Cup, FIFA released a statement of its own. They wrote:
“We are quite surprised by the NJ governor’s approach on fan transportation. The original FIFA World Cup 2026 host city agreements signed in 2018 required free transportation for fans to all matches.
Recognizing the financial strain this placed on the host cities, back in 2023 FIFA adjusted the host agreement requirements across all host cities as follows: All match ticket holders and accredited individuals shall be able to access transport [public or additionally planned transport] at cost to allow travel to stadiums on match days.
Moreover, FIFA has worked for years with host cities on their transportation and mobility plans, including advocating for millions of dollars in federal funding to support host cities for transportation. The FIFA World Cup will bring millions of fans to North America along with the related economic impact. Many of these fans will travel to NYNJ to enjoy the eight matches scheduled, including the FIFA World Cup final.
FIFA is not aware of any other major event previously held at NYNJ Stadium, including other major sports, global concert tours, etc, where organizers were required to pay for fan transportation.”
That last one is a real kicker. FIFA, nor anyone else, is aware of a situation where the organizer of the event is required to pay for transportation to/from Met Life Stadium.
Imagine trying to tell the Jets/Giants owners that they had to foot the transportation bill for fans every game, or subsidize it. Those teams would be moved out of New Jersey in a heartbeat.
Down in Philly, SEPTA is not changing the cost of train tickets for fans getting to/from the stadium. Up in Foxborough, it’s $80/person to take the train to/from the stadium via Boston.
Every city is handling this their own way but for the New Jersey governor to try and start this fight with FIFA now, three months out from the World Cup Final, is a fight she cannot and will not win. Nor is it one she should be fighting because this is functionally no different than any other event held at Met Life Stadium. It’s simply greed to jack the prices up to over $100 for something that typically costs $12.