New York's Penn Station closure, 27-mile train journeys and 450% price hikes: World Cup travel chaos and cost continues

It is only two months until fans from across the globe flock to North America for the 2026 World Cup.

This edition of the tournament is the biggest yet, featuring 48 teams, 104 matches and three host nations, with the games taking place across the USA, Canada and Mexico.

But that also presents logistical challenges and many supporters are bracing themselves for transport issues as they navigate their way across North America at the World Cup this summer.

Travel chaos in north-east USA set to hit fans hard

FIFA has already come under fire for the soaring cost of World Cup tickets, with some seats for the final costing more than £8,000 and England and Scotland fans facing paying vastly inflated prices through world football's governing body's official resale platform.

And the cost of attending games is not the only eye-watering price hike that will hit supporters in the pocket.

England and Scotland fans travelling to World Cup group-stage matches in Boston have been told they will have to pay more than four-and-a-half times the price of a normal train ticket.

Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) has announced round-trip tickets from central Boston (South Station) to the Gillette Stadium at Foxborough will cost $80 (£60) during the tournament, up from the usual price of $17.50 (£13).

The price hike will hit the Tartan Army particularly hard, with Scotland playing two group games at the 65,878-capacity venue - against Haiti on June 14 and Morocco five days later - before England face Ghana there on June 23.

The stadium is a 27-mile train journey from South Station, and would usually take just over an hour - but even that may be better than travelling by car, with parking spaces at the ground starting from $175 (£132).

Rail tickets went on sale at 4pm BST on Wednesday, with children under 11 also forced to pay the inflated prices despite usually travelling for free on MBTA trains.

It is not only football fans who face travel issues this summer, with New York's Penn Station reportedly set to close to everyone except supporters with tickets on World Cup matchdays at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.

The measure would come into place four hours before kick-off on the eight matchdays that the MetLife Stadium is scheduled to host matches, including the final on July 19.

Full details are yet to be released, according to the New York Post, but the travel plan is set to cause severe disruption to New York commuters, with Penn Station the busiest transportation hub in North America.