The 2026 FIFA World Cup is weeks away from arriving in the New York City region, and officials are already taking steps to manage traffic congestion and keep people moving.

A total of eight matches will be held at MetLife Stadium, with plenty of fan events and activities planned alongside. All told, they’re expected to draw thousands of soccer fanatics from around the globe.

Here’s what New Yorkers need to know about getting around the five boroughs on match days.

Key dates

World Cup runs: June 11 to July 19, 2026
Match days will be on June 13, 16, 22, 25, 27, 30 and July 5 and 19.

Gridlock Alert Days

The city will declare each of the eight match days as a Gridlock Alert Day, when traffic is expected to be at its most congested.

New Yorkers and visitors will be encouraged to walk, bike or take public transportation when possible instead of driving.

MTA subway, bus and rail impacts

Subway and bus service will continue
Bus routes and Access-A-Ride service in Midtown between 34th and 59th streets from the FDR Drive to the West Side Highway may be diverted or limited
Penn Station will remain open for Long Island Rail Road and subway service
Long Island Rail Road riders may use Grand Central Madison or Atlantic Terminal as alternatives
Metro-North riders will use Grand Central Terminal connections
Riders should expect crowded conditions at major hubs

Getting to MetLife Stadium

The stadium is located in New Jersey’s Meadowlands, about 9 miles from Midtown.

Matches will be served by dedicated NJ Transit rail service and shuttle buses (see “Penn Station queuing” section below). Fans can travel via subway, bus or Long Island Rail Road to Penn Station for shuttle connections.

Shuttle pickup and dropoff locations include:

Midtown East near Grand Central Terminal
Midtown West at the Port Authority Bus Terminal
Midtown North at Columbus Circle

Match day buses and shuttles

To move fans and commuters within Midtown Manhattan, the city says it will create temporary bus and shuttle corridors:

42nd Street will become a dedicated bus and shuttle corridor from First Avenue to 12th Avenue
The two eastern-most lanes of traffic along Sixth Avenue will become dedicated bus and shuttle lanes from 42nd Street to 59th Street
Fifth Avenue’s existing bus lanes will be used for shuttle service between 42nd and 59th streets
West 40th Street between Eighth and 11th avenues and West 41st Street between Eighth and 10th avenues will become bus and shuttle blocks

Those specfic bus and shuttle corridors will be limited to MetLife Stadium shuttle buses, MTA local buses, World Cup affiliate vehicles and emergency vehicles, according to the city.

The changes will begin six hours before matches and end up to three hours after matches wrap up.

Penn Station queueing 

NJ Transit will begin limiting outbound service from Penn Station to World Cup ticketholders beginning around four hours before matches kick off, the city says. All tickets will be checked and validated before entering Penn Station.

To accommodate queues, the city will block vehicles from accessing 33rd Street between Sixth and Eighth avenues and 32nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues.

The closures will begin at least six hours before matches start, with most streets set to reopen after the matches begin. 33rd Street between Seventh and Sixth avenues will reopen three hours after matches end, according to the city. 

Commuters not attending matches are encouraged to use alternate travel options, available at no additional cost, by taking PATH trains at 33rd Street or NJ Transit buses at the Port Authority Bus Terminal. 

Ferry service

NYC Ferry will add capacity on high-demand routes during the summer.
The Staten Island Ferry remains free and operates on its regular schedule.

Citi Bike

Citi Bike service will operate normally on match days.

Getting to fan events

Official World Cup fans events will be popping up in all five boroughs, including:

Queens Group Stage HQ (USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, June 11–27)
Stony Brook University (June 12)
Bronx Fan Zone (Bronx Terminal Market, June 13–14)
Brooklyn Fan Zone (Brooklyn Bridge Park, June 13–July 19, select dates)
Staten Island Fan Zone (June 29–July 2)
Fan Village at Rockefeller Center (July 6–19)
Kensico Dam Plaza (July 19)
Central Park Finals Viewing Party (July 19)

The MTA is urging travelers to use public transportation for each, including:

7 train to Mets-Willets Point
Long Island Rail Road to Stony Brook
4 train to 149th Street-Grand Concourse
A or C trains to High Street, or F to York Street
Staten Island Railway to St. George, or the Staten Island Ferry
B, D, F or M trains to 47th-50th Streets-Rockefeller Center
Metro-North to Valhalla

Midtown delivery restrictions

To prevent further congestion on match days, the city will take steps to limit truck deliveries between 30th and 60th streets, from the East to Hudson rivers.

Trucks will be restricted from making deliveries six hours before each match and three hours after
Smaller delivery vehicles such as cars, vans and cargo bikes are exempt
Emergency vehicles, service vehicles and essential delivery providers are also exempt

The city is encouraging businesses looking for alternative delivery methods to reach out to the city’s Department of Transportation at FreightMobility@dot.nyc.gov.

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