The Fare

The 2026 FIFA World Cup comes to the United States this summer. Several cities are involved. The matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey are among the largest on the schedule. MetLife Stadium seats 82,500 people. Most of those people will need to get there.

NJ Transit connects MetLife Stadium to Penn Station in New York City by rail. This is a fact about infrastructure that has been true for decades. The trip takes approximately 30 minutes. The normal return fare is $12.90.

This summer, for World Cup match days, NJ Transit has announced the return fare will be $150.

(I want to be clear about the math here. $150 is not $12.90 plus a small convenience fee. $150 is $12.90 multiplied by approximately 11.6. The difference is $137.10. In percentage terms, this is a 1,163 percent increase. The train still leaves from the same platform. The platform has not changed.)

NJ Transit has not explained how $150 was calculated. This is because no explanation has been offered. The announcement and the price arrived together, as a unit, without supporting documentation. NJ Transit appears to consider this sufficient.

FIFA, the international governing body for soccer, has also not commented. FIFA's position on transit surcharges is not publicly known. FIFA's general position on the movement of money is that it should move, and that FIFA should be somewhere nearby when it does. They have held this position since 1904.

The World Cup is in America partly because America has large stadiums and infrastructure that supports them. MetLife Stadium is the largest in the NFL. Its transit connection to New York City was described, at some point during the bid process, as a selling point. "You can take the train from Penn Station," someone told FIFA. That person did not mention the $150. It is also possible that, at the time, the $150 had not yet been invented.

Fans from around the world have purchased tickets. They are coming to New Jersey to watch soccer. When they arrive at Penn Station and see the fare, they will not have the context that a normal NJ Transit rider has, which is: this number used to be $12.90. They will think $150 is simply what the train costs. They will be incorrect, but they will have no way of knowing this. NJ Transit will not be explaining it to them.

The available alternatives are limited. You can drive. Parking at MetLife Stadium on World Cup days has not yet been priced, which is optimistic of me to mention, because it will be. You can walk. MetLife Stadium is approximately 7.8 miles from Penn Station. This is possible if you leave several hours early and are wearing appropriate shoes. (Appropriate shoes are important. I have written about this.)

There is no third option.

The World Cup begins in June. NJ Transit is ready. The train will run on schedule. The fare will be $150. The return fare will also be $150, for a round trip of $300, because MetLife Stadium is in New Jersey and you will need to come back.

$12.90 is what the trip was worth. $150 is what the trip is worth now. The train does not know the difference.