NEWNow you can listen to Pak Gazette articles!
Just days after NJ Transit slashed train ticket prices for the 2026 FIFA World Cup following backlash, New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill announced another cut.
Last week, round-trip tickets from New York’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, were reduced from the initial cost of $150 to $105.
Now, Sherrill announced that tickets have dropped to $98 round-trip before they go on sale Tuesday night.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PakGazette.Com
Gov. Mikie Sherrill, D-N.J., narrowly won Rep. Tom Kean Jr.’s battleground district in 2025. (Eduardo Muñoz Álvarez/Getty Images)
“Good news: Before NJ TRANSIT World Cup train tickets go on sale tonight, @NJTRANSIT is dropping ticket prices to $98 without New Jersey taxpayer money,” Sherrill wrote on X.
“Thank you to our partners (DoorDash, Audible, FanDuel, DraftKings, PSE&G, South Jersey Industries and American Water) for helping make this possible.
“We are excited to host a world-class event this summer and showcase New Jersey on a global stage.”
NJ TRANSIT REDUCES WORLD CUP TRAIN TICKET PRICES AFTER REJECTION, CITING MORE MONETARY SUPPORT: REPORT
NJ Transit and the FIFA New York and New Jersey Host Committee came under fire after the originally announced price of $150 for round-trip tickets. Their argument was that it would eventually cost taxpayers if they didn’t set that abnormal price for the influx of those coming to MetLife Stadium from New York City.
Then, NJ Transit announced last week that it received monetary support from “sponsors and other sources” in order to lower prices. We now know those sponsors after Sherrill’s statement on social media.
Sherrill and FIFA fell out after the $150 price tag also came out. The governor said FIFA should help pay for train tickets, while the governing body criticized Sherrill’s “unprecedented” plan, adding that expensive train tickets would have a “chilling effect” on the fan experience.
Transit officials are preparing for unprecedented numbers of riders during World Cup games this summer. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
“Governor Sherrill has been clear that FIFA should help transport its fans to World Cup games. Since it has not done so, she directed NJ Transit to seek private, non-taxpayer funding to significantly reduce the fare,” a spokesperson for Sherrill told The Athletic. “The Governor thanks all the businesses who have already stepped up to reduce costs for ticket holders. She will continue to ensure that the World Cup is an experience that benefits fans and all New Jerseyans.”
NJ Transit CEO Kris Kolluri defended the original price and said the final cost to the transit company should not burden New Jersey commuters.
“It’s an exciting time for New Jersey to showcase New Jersey’s diversity as well as its economic standing in the country and the world. Equally important, (Sherrill) has said that New Jersey commuters cannot and will not subsidize the movement of fans to the game, because that wouldn’t be fair,” Kolluri said, reiterating that the tournament will cost NJ Transit $48 million.
“To transport 40,000 people and pay the cost of $6 million (per game), we have to charge $150.”
Regular train fare from New York Penn Station to MetLife Stadium round trip costs $12.90.
Commuters move through the NJ Transit section of Penn Station in New York City on May 20, 2025, after NJ Transit resumed operations following a tentative agreement to end a three-day strike by train engineers. (Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pak Gazette APP
Meanwhile, parking at MetLife Stadium has been banned and ride-sharing will be limited, ultimately leading to a natural increase in NJ Transit trips for World Cup games.
The first match at MetLife Stadium will be June 13 with a group stage match between Brazil and Morocco.
