Miami-Dade County will provide complimentary game-day shuttles exclusively for match ticket holders traveling to Hard Rock Stadium at this summer’s World Cup.
Hard Rock will host four group stage matches, including Portugal vs. Colombia and Brazil vs. Scotland, as well as a round of 32 fixture, a quarter-final, and the bronze final clash on July 18.
“Game Day Shuttles to Miami Stadium in Miami Gardens will be complimentary, but are reserved exclusively for verified ticket holders,” a spokesperson for the Miami-Dade County Department of Transportation and Public Works (DTPW) told The Athletic.
The DTPW also outlined that the four confirmed shuttle hubs will be the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Metrorail Station, Brightline Aventura, Golden Glades Intermodal Station, and Seminole Hard Rock Hotel. Fans will still need to make their own way to the selected hubs, however.
“Tickets will be scanned and verified by Stadium staff at each of these transit hubs prior to boarding the shuttle,” the spokesperson added.
“Secondary ticket validation will occur at the stadium security perimeter prior to entry, but no one will be allowed to board a Game Day Shuttle without a verified ticket.”
During the regular NFL season, Brightline offers a complimentary shuttle from Aventura to Hard Rock Stadium, but transportation for the World Cup fixtures is being overseen by the DTPW in collaboration with other agencies.
“We are working directly with the transportation leads at the stadium — who are collaborating directly with the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office, Florida Department of Transportation, Miami Gardens, Miami-Dade County’s Department of Transportation and Public Works, and the Miami Host Committee, among other partners — to build on their existing shuttle protocols which are successfully deployed for Formula One, Super Bowl, and other major events,” the spokesperson said.
They added that the full details will be announced in the “coming weeks as final shuttle schedules are finalized”.
This development comes at a time when supporters wanting to attend games in Boston and New Jersey are being hit with extremely expensive transportation costs.
Earlier this month, NJ Transit confirmed that a round-trip rail ticket from New York Pennsylvania Station to MetLife Stadium would cost $150 per passenger, a more than 11-fold increase on the usual $12.90 fare.
This sparked a public row between New Jersey’s governor and FIFA, with Heimo Schirgi, FIFA’s chief operating officer for the 2026 World Cup, telling The Athletic that this “current pricing model will have a chilling effect”.
For games in Foxboro, an $80 train and $95 bus has been announced for supporters travelling from Boston to Gillette Stadium.
Philadelphia’s host committee announced that it secured an agreement for supporters to receive free transport when exiting Lincoln Financial Field via the city’s transit system.
Meg Kane, the CEO of Philadelphia Soccer 2026, told The Athletic this was made possible due to Airbnb, a FIFA sponsor, providing an additional $5million worth of funding to help support the World Cup across host cities.