New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has placed the blame squarely on FIFA for exorbitant transportation costs that could see fans paying over $100 for train rides to World Cup matches this summer, urging the global football body to subsidize the fares.
According to recent reports, New Jersey Transit plans to implement special event pricing for the 30-minute journey from New York's Penn Station to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, where eight World Cup games—including an England group match and the final on July 19—will be held. A single ticket could exceed $100, a dramatic increase from the usual $12.90 round-trip fare, with no discounts available for children or seniors.
"We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup," Sherrill stated on social media. "And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48m bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11bn. I'm not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come."
This pricing controversy follows similar issues in Boston, where train fares to Gillette Stadium were raised to $80 and coach tickets to $95 for World Cup events. Sherrill emphasized that neither taxpayers nor daily commuters should bear the financial burden, especially given FIFA's substantial revenue from high ticket sales.
In response, a FIFA spokesperson expressed surprise at the governor's remarks, noting that the organization had revised its initial 2018 requirement for free fan transportation to allow host cities to charge "at cost" fares. FIFA asserted that it has collaborated extensively with host cities on transportation planning and that no inflated pricing has been applied for other major events at the venues.
New Jersey Transit is expected to officially announce its pricing structure on Friday, leaving fans and officials awaiting clarity on the affordability of accessing one of the tournament's key stadiums.