East Rutherford (United States) (AFP) – Just 90 minutes before France v. Sweden kicked off at the 2026 World Cup, the Tsatsos family chained their bikes to a tree near the stadium in the suburbs of New York and walked right into the game. Like many other frustrated fans, instead of using the public transport laid on by the organizers, the US couple and their two children, aged four and nine, opted for a DIY solution.
“The first time we came, my son and I got dehydrated while waiting in line for an Uber to take us home,” said Adam Tsatsos, 37. “So this time, I shoved our bikes into the back of our pickup truck, parked at a diner for free, and we rode the last 20 minutes or so.”
The United States had initially committed to making transport free like in Qatar in 2022 and Russia in 2018. But due to host cities’ “financial difficulties,” it was ultimately agreed that spectators would travel “at cost,” FIFA said. The cheapest option offered by the organizers for getting to MetLife Stadium, part of an isolated sports complex in New Jersey about 20 kilometers (12 miles) from Manhattan, were buses chartered by the local organizing committee.
At $20 for a round trip, these buses filled up almost entirely, according to figures obtained by AFP. Match-day trains running to the 80,000-seat venue could only carry between 20,000 and 25,000 people, out of a capacity of 40,000, according to New Jersey’s NJ Transit.
Many fans have been deterred by the $98 round-trip train fare, especially compared to the $12.90 fare away from the World Cup. The cost has been widely criticized by fans already feeling the pinch of the most expensive World Cup ever, but the state justified the fare as unavoidable.
“There should be no price gouging for public transportation,” said Kelly Wakeman, a 44-year-old American. “This is a lot of money, especially for people traveling from abroad.” Wakeman had driven to MetLife from her home in the neighboring state of Pennsylvania and decried the near-total lack of parking spaces at the stadium. She was able to find a local online option allowing fans to park around two miles from the stadium for $65, and she then walked the last section.
Her strategy has been copied widely, with supporters discussing it on fan forums and on social media. The Lescaud family, from Pau in France, parked a 40-minute walk away from MetLife for $50. Jerome Maurice, a 39-year-old French-Canadian, drove from Montreal to a small nearby town where parking costs just $1 an hour. From there, he took the bus and then walked without difficulty along roads that do not always have sidewalks.
“It’s the middle of the day, so I don’t think there are too many traffic problems,” he said.
© 2024 AFP
