April 16, 2026
Colleen Claggett/for PhillyVoice
SEPTA riders in Philly will not have to pay higher prices for World Cup matches, officials said.
Unlike transit systems in some other Word Cup host cities, SEPTA will not raise prices for riders going to matches in Philadelphia.
Most of the SEPTA’s incurred costs will be covered by federal grant funding secured last month, officials said Wednesday. Meanwhile, transportation services in Boston and New Jersey are expected to charge up to 11 times higher than regular fares for tickets to their respective stadiums, citing the need to make up operational expenses.
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John Golden, senior press officer for SEPTA, said the traditional fare price of $2.90 per ride would remain in effect for the six World Cup matches in Philadelphia that are being held between June 14 and July 4.
NJ Transit, on the other hand, is expected to reveal their final pricing plans Friday. The inflated cost for a single ticket from New York City’s Penn Station to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, which normally costs $12.90, could reach $150 for the event, according to the Athletic, which is owned by the New York Times. Also, access to NJ Transit’s sections of Penn Station could be reserved to only World Cup ticket holders for the four hours before matches, the New York Times reported.
FIFA’s hosting agreement forces cities to absorb costs for transportation and enhanced security requirements, and New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill estimates those totals to be around $50 million. In a social media post on Wednesday, she called on the international governing body of soccer to step in and cover some of the costs.
“I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years to come,” she posted on X. “FIFA should pay for the rides. But if they don’t — I’m not going to let New Jersey get taken for one.”
We inherited an agreement where FIFA is providing $0 for transportation to the World Cup.
— Governor Mikie Sherrill (@GovSherrillNJ) April 15, 2026
And while NJ TRANSIT is stuck with a $48 million bill to safely get fans to and from games, FIFA is making $11 billion.
I’m not going to stick New Jersey commuters with that tab for years… pic.twitter.com/pugU8davkW
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority said earlier this month that one-way tickets between downtown Boston and Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, which normally costs $20, will be $80 per rider, the Athletic reported.
Philadelphia is expecting over 1 million visitors for its upcoming six World Cup matches, the MLB All Star Game and events related to the nation's 250th anniversary. SEPTA estimates the total cost to increase service this summer will be about $21.5 million, with most of that going toward overtime pay for operators and transit police.
Last month, the Federal Transit Administration awarded $5.5 million to SEPTA as part of a larger program that supported all 11 of the country’s host cities. This funding will support a "vast majority" of SEPTA's increased costs for the World Cup, Golden said.
FIFA FanFest, a five-week festival at Lemon Hill, is expected to attract as many as 25,000 people each day for World Cup watch parties. To prepare, SEPTA plans to add capacity to seven bus routes around the Fairmount Park area. The authority’s final transportation plan for the summer should be available next month, Golden said.
“SEPTA transports nearly 800,000 riders safely and efficiently everyday throughout the Philadelphia region,” John Golden, senior press officer with SEPTA, said in an emailed statement. “We are working with other local agencies … to ensure that everyone’s experience is a positive one, not just during FIFA and America 250 events, but throughout the summer and beyond.”
