MTA Chair and CEO Janno Lieber said New Yorkers should not avoid taking public transit on match days during the FIFA World Cup final this summer.
Photo by Lloyd Mitchell
In just a few weeks, more than a million soccer – or, should I say, football – fans from around the world will descend on the metropolitan area for the World Cup, and the MTA is ready to keep them moving.
While matches may take place in New Jersey, a lot of the action is going to be in the City. Official fan events are planned across the MTA network, including at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Rockefeller Center, Bronx Terminal Market, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Stony Brook University on Long Island. All conveniently located near transit.
We are ready to accommodate the crush. The U.S. Open draws just as many people every summer – 1.1 million fans attended in 2025 – and our system always rises to the occasion. Moving millions is what we do: 4.5 million people every weekday on the subways alone. Seven million including all agencies! And we carried even more before COVID. In other words, there’s plenty of room for every soccer fan.
With our diversity, every country playing in the tournament has supporters who are New Yorkers, who’ll be hosting watch parties in all five boroughs. Our transit system will get you where you need to go – 24 hours a day, seven days a week for just $3 a ride on the subway or bus.
On match days, there will likely be significant changes to bus and Access-A-Ride services in Midtown to accommodate ground transportation heading to the stadium via the Lincoln Tunnel. And depending on the day of week and kickoff times, bus service between 34 St and 59 St from the FDR Drive to the West Side Highway may be subject to diversions, reroutes, skipped stops, or cancellations.
Folks looking to travel by transit to matches can transfer to New Jersey Transit at Penn Station. Unlike NJT, the MTA’s portion of the station will be open with regular service for Long Island Rail Road and subway customers. But on game days we are expecting crowds, so regular LIRR commuters might consider traveling through Grand Central Madison or Atlantic Terminal instead. The TrainTime and MTA apps will have all the latest service information.
I’m confident our MTA team is up to the task. New York always has a buzz. The World Cup will only add to that excitement.