World Cup fans cry foul over ‘unprecedented’ US transport costs

{"text":[[{"start":8.2,"text":"Just weeks before the 2026 men’s football World Cup kicks off, two US host cities are being accused of exploiting fans for the sky-high transit fares they are charging for ferrying people to and from games. "}],[{"start":21.35,"text":"New Jersey’s transport system has set a price of $150 for round-trip tickets for match ticket holders from New York’s Penn Station to the MetLife Stadium, where eight games including the final will be played. The fare is usually $12.90 for concerts or other sporting events. Boston has raised the price of train tickets to the Boston stadium from $20 to $80 for tournament matches. "}],[{"start":44.900000000000006,"text":"The high fares are “completely unprecedented”, said Ronan Evain, executive director of fan group Football Supporters Europe. In Boston and New Jersey, “every fan group is looking for alternative transport”, he added. "}],[{"start":58.2,"text":"The outcry over the sky-high prices adds to complaints that this summer’s World Cup will only be enjoyed by those with deep pockets, with many global fans of the beautiful game being priced out of the tournament. "}],[{"start":72.35000000000001,"text":"Fan groups have been complaining for months that the cost of attending the cup is prohibitive, while the mayors of Los Angeles and New York have criticised the dynamic pricing Fifa has adopted. "}],[{"start":null,"text":"

"}],[{"start":83.00000000000001,"text":"Fans who want to drive to matches at MetLife — to be renamed the New York New Jersey Stadium during the tournament — will have to pay at least $225 for parking at the nearby American Dream mall. A shuttle service organised by the New York and New Jersey host committee will be available, priced at $80. "}],[{"start":100.65,"text":"Not all US host cities have increased transport prices for football fans. In Philadelphia, Seattle and LA, transit fares will remain unchanged from the local transport system’s normal pricing, or drop to being free for one leg of the journey."}],[{"start":117.30000000000001,"text":"New Jersey and Boston blame the price increases on the labour, security and other costs of having trains go on an irregular service to the stadiums and back with tens of thousands of riders, according to the NJ Transit and Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority. In cities such as Philadelphia and Seattle, by contrast, the stadiums are located in the city and are on the regular metro routes."}],[{"start":141.25,"text":"NJ Transit’s chief executive Kris Kolluri said the system has a structural deficit of $200mn. “All we are trying to do is recover the cost of operating,” he told the FT. "}],[{"start":152.25,"text":"But Philadelphia’s transit system also has a structural budget deficit of $192mn. However, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority has a sponsorship deal with Airbnb to cover fares so fans will not be charged for the train ride back from the six football games to be held there. "}],[{"start":173.75,"text":"New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill has blamed Fifa for NJ Transit’s high fares. "}],[{"start":179.5,"text":"“We inherited an agreement where Fifa is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup,” Sherrill wrote on X. “And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion.” "}],[{"start":196.35,"text":"Fifa replied that it was “quite surprised by the NJ Governor’s approach today on fan transportation”."}],[{"start":202.25,"text":"Fifa reminded Sherrill that it updated the terms of its agreement with the US in 2023 to allow host cities to provide transport “at cost”, in recognition of the “financial strain” that free travel would put on them."}],[{"start":null,"text":""}],[{"start":214.7,"text":"It is not clear whether US host cities will receive much of an economic boost for holding the tournament. They will have “some GDP growth this summer”, but the “medium-term impact on growth will be limited and, for the most part, tourism activity surrounding the games will merely displace existing tourism”, according to a recent analysis from Barbara Denham at Oxford Economics. "}],[{"start":236.04999999999998,"text":"Hotels in match cities including Atlanta, Miami and Dallas have slashed their on-the-day rates by about a third from their peak earlier this year, according to data tracker Lighthouse Intelligence as they contend with lower than expected demand."}],[{"start":249.85,"text":"“The discrepancy between how much Fifa is making and how much it costs the host cities [to put on a World Cup]”, is the main problem with the sporting competition, Evain said. “What this means is the model needs to evolve, or it can only go to Saudi Arabia for a tournament.”"}],[{"start":266.4,"text":"Fifa did not respond to a request for comment. "}],[{"start":276.5,"text":""}]],"url":"https://audio.ftcn.net.cn/album/a_1777948484_3190.mp3"}