New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill and U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer called on FIFA to cover or subsidize public transportation costs for fans attending 2026 World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. A FIFA spokesperson responded on Thursday with a statement outlining mobility plans to support host cities.

In 2018, the original FIFA World Cup 2026 Host City Agreements required free transportation for fans to all matches. In 2023, FIFA adjusted those requirements across all host cities to allow match ticket holders and accredited individuals to access transport at cost on match days. A FIFA spokesperson said the organization 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. FIFA is not aware of any other major event previously held at the stadium where organizers were required to pay for fan transportation, the spokesperson said.

Sherrill, who asked FIFA to help subsidize public transportation expenses, posted a series of statements on X. "We have inherited an agreement in which FIFA doesn't contribute a single dollar toward transportation for the World Cup. And while NJ Transit is left with a $48m bill to safely transport 40,000 fans from the stadium to wherever they're headed, FIFA is generating $11b from this World Cup. I'm not going to burden New Jersey taxpayers with that bill for years," she wrote. "I won't stick N.J. commuters with that tab for years to come, that's not fair," the governor added. "FIFA should pay for the rides, but if they don't, I'm not going to let N.J. commuters be taken for one," she also wrote.

Schumer, the highest-ranking Democrat in the U.S. Senate, called on FIFA on Tuesday to pay for World Cup public transportation costs. "FIFA is set to reap nearly $11 billion from this summer's World Cup, yet New York area commuters and residents are being handed the bill," he said. "New York commuters and residents should not subsidize an $11 billion windfall," he added. "The least FIFA can do is ensure New York residents can go to the stadium without being gouged at the turnstile. I am demanding FIFA step up and cover transportation costs for host cities and states," Schumer said.

The official train ticket cost for World Cup games on the route from New York's Penn Station to MetLife Stadium has not been announced. The standard fare for that trip is $12.90, but train tickets for World Cup games on that route could top $100. In the Boston area, train tickets from Boston to Foxborough, Massachusetts, for World Cup games will cost $80, and bus rides on the same route will cost up to $95.