New Jersey Gov. Blames FIFA For Possible $100 World Cup Train

New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill is defending her state’s potential $100 train ticket for World Cup matches and blaming FIFA for the huge cost.

Sherrill posted a video Wednesday claiming that her administration “inherited an agreement” from former Gov. Phil Murphy where FIFA is not paying for any World Cup transportation, leaving New Jersey Transit with a $48 million bill.

“I won’t stick New Jersey’s commuters with that tab for years to come,” Sherrill said. “FIFA should pay for the rides, but if they don’t, I’m not going to let New Jersey commuters get taken for one.”

The Athletic reported earlier this week that round-trip train tickets between New York City’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium during the tournament may cost more than $100. The news came about a week after NorthJersey.com reported that NJ Transit plans to close Penn Station to its regular riders for four hours before World Cup matches, though Sherrill’s administration said those commuters will get a discount.

With parking largely banned at MetLife because of FIFA security restrictions, the $100 train would be World Cup fans’ primary option for getting to the games from New York. Sherill said in her video that NJ Transit anticipates carrying 40,000 people to and from each match, which a spokesperson said is four times the normal ridership for a MetLife event.

NJ Transit has an operating budget of $3.16 billion for the current fiscal year, which ends in the middle of the World Cup. Fares only make up about a third of revenue.

MetLife Stadium, which sits across the river from New York City in East Rutherford, New Jersey, will host eight World Cup matches this summer. Powerhouse nations Brazil, France, Germany, and England are set to play at what will be called “New York New Jersey Stadium” this summer. (FIFA removes existing commercial branding from its host venues.)

The biggest of those matches is the July 19 tournament final. FIFA is selling some tickets for the final for more than $10,000.

NJ Transit has not confirmed the $100 tickets, but Sherrill said on WNYC that she will approve the costs “if that’s what it takes, because I’m not putting this on the back of New Jerseyans.” Also on Wednesday, the board of directors of NJ Transit greenlit its CEO to set ticket prices to “cover any and all costs” of bringing fans to and from the World Cup. (The Athletic reported Thursday that the cost could be even higher, close to $150.)

FIFA said in a statement that the global governing body is “quite surprised by the NJ Governor’s approach.” The statement noted that FIFA originally wanted all match transportation to be free, but conceded in 2023 after “recognizing the financial strain this placed on the host cities.”

“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 statement said. “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.”

Free or subsidized transit has been the norm at many major men’s international tournaments in recent years. The national governments of Russia and Qatar covered the cost of free transit for World Cup fans in 2018 and 2022, respectively. At the 2024 Euros in Germany, UEFA took on transit costs on match days.

Sherrill, a Democrat who previously served in the U.S. House of Representatives, was elected in November and assumed office in January.

In March, the U.S. Department of Transportation announced it would reimburse about $100 million to host cities collectively for World Cup transit. According to Sherrill’s calculations, New Jersey would take up roughly half of the federal allotment.

NJ Transit and the local host committee have said they will reveal their final World Cup transportation plan at a news conference on Friday.

This isn’t the first time Sherrill has shown she’s willing to change course from FIFA’s expectations if she feels her state would be left holding the bag.

As there was “no workable, cost-effective way” to pull off the planned FIFA Fan Fest at Liberty Park, a Jersey City spokesperson said, Sherrill canceled the event in February. She instead announced that $5 million of “previously appropriated” funds would launch smaller World Cup festivities across the state.

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, who has criticized high prices around the World Cup since before his election, deferred a question about the potential $100 ticket back to NJ Transit.

​​“It is part of a larger fact, which is that FIFA does offload a lot of its costs onto local municipalities, cities, and states, and these are some of the kinds of measures that they take,” Mamdani told WPIX. “I think that there’s a lot more that we could be doing in partnership with FIFA to make this a more affordable experience for everyone.”