How much will it cost to attend World Cup 2026 matches using public transport?

Attending World Cup matches is a regular treat for the most fortunate and committed followers of international teams but for many it's more like a once-in-a-lifetime trip that's years in the planning.

World Cup 2026 has been marked in calendars all over the globe ever since the United States, Canada and Mexico were confirmed as co-hosts of the tournament, but with the worldwide cost of absolutely everything soaring and FIFA being FIFA, it might not be quite the dream football holiday it should have been.

World Cup ticket prices are sky-high and the overall cost of going to one of the 104 World Cup matches is growing more prohibitive with every new development as the tournament approaches. Public transportation pricing hikes are an unwelcome sting.

England and Scotland fans will both be heading to the Massachusetts town of Foxborough to cheer on their teams in group stage matches at Gillette Stadium in June.

The venue will be known as Boston Stadium for the duration of the tournament but as close to Worcester to its northwest as Boston to its northeast. Most fans will be based in or at least travelling from Boston, which means ground transport from the city to the stadium comes is a key consideration.

The cost of World Cup 2026 public transport

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority has announced that matchday round-trip train tickets from central Boston to Gillette Stadium will cost $80 (£60), increased from a regular New England Patriots or New England Revolution matchday at $20 (£15).

A bus ticket for the same round trip will cost as much as $95 (£70) for what's sure to be a fragrant summertime jaunt down the I-95 with one's fellow fans.

"It's another huge disappointment," Paul Goodwin, co-founder of the Scottish Football Supporters Association, told BBC Sport.

"It's another reminder that the further up the tree you go, the game is getting further and further away from its origins and the people who will turn up on a wet Tuesday night in Forfar."

Scotland will play Haiti at Gillette Stadium on Saturday, June 13 and return to face Morocco in their second group stage match on Friday, June 19.

England visit Foxborough for their second Group L fixture against Ghana on Tuesday, June 23.

Their final group game will be at MetLife Stadium, the venue for the World Cup final, against Panama on Saturday, June 27. The hike in train prices between New York City and the stadium in New Jersey will reportedly be even steeper than Boston.

Why is World Cup 2026 public transport so expensive?

While public transportation fares have not yet been announced by NJ Transit, it's expected that a train from New York City to MetLife will jump to $100 (£73). A return ticket from Penn Station to the stadium usually costs $12.90 (£9.50).

Such increases are likely to be replicated across every World Cup 2026 host city and the need for increased provision in June and July lies at the heart of it, at least when it comes to what the local authorities are willing to say on record about the justification.

The cost of running increased services to and from World Cup venues is significant and there is an apparent desire to make sure that the cities don't end up swallowing the difference.

Mikie Sherrill, the new Governor of New Jersey, told reporters that the World Cup was the first job in her in-tray when she took office.

"One of the key things I wanted to make sure of was that we were not going to be paying for moving people who were viewing the World Cup on the backs of New Jersey taxpayers and New Jersey commuters," Sherrill announced.

Notwithstanding the fact that a great many of the people attending matches will be New Jersey taxpayers, the local reasoning is sound. The World Cup is hosted at vast expense and FIFA takes out more than it puts in when it comes to making its showpiece competition happen.

Indeed Chuck Schumer, the Democrat minority leader of the US Senate, has called on FIFA to foot the bill for the increased cost of public transportation. The world governing body is expected to trouser a cool $11 billion from the World Cup.

Is there an alternative to public transport at World Cup 2026?

One of the criticisms levelled at the vast NFL stadiums that will host much of World Cup 2026 is that they were built away from the cities to which they're nominally attached and planned with cars in mind. The lack of pedestrian access and the knock-on effect on public transport at a 48-team World Cup is obvious.

Parking will be limited at many of the tournament venues but driving is an option in some cases. It's being actively discouraged, however, and the prohibitive cost of parking at the stadium is likely to be as much of a deterrent as the experience of driving out of a major United States city.

World Cup parking at Gillette Stadium will cost a minimum of $175 (£132).

Ground transport is likely to be one of the highest match costs faced by fans at World Cup 2026.

After securing a match ticket, booking international or internal flights and paying for the necessary accommodation, simply getting from City A to Stadium B is next on the list of World Cup expenses.