Going to North America '26: tickets, accommodations, etc. (non-politics)

If they make trips originating at NJT stations in NJ substantially cheaper, that would induce folks in NYC to find other means to get to NJ before beginning their NJT journey, such as PATH from Manhattan to Newark Penn. There could be chaos spreading on all transportation options.

Seems like setting up a direct bus shuttles from various locations could relieve some of the bottlenecks. That appears to be what they are trying in Boston, albeit at very unfriendly prices.

 

I live in NYC (Manhattan) so the most direct route would be NJ Transit from Penn St. May have to try to circumvent that now..

 

Yeah, some fans are suggesting catching local NJT buses into MetLife stadium: one bus unit per hour which do not service MetLife every hour.

Returning on local buses will be a risk, as I can imagine frustrated train riders trying to hop in.

 

Imagine spending 20,000 on a pair of tickets for the World Cup Final and then missing some or all of the match due to transport issues.

 

First of all, congrats! Second of all, well, I don't love the block based on the map, but since it's probably row 1-3, I think that should be fine. I think you should be happy you got tickets to this game, tbh. I remember you saying it's THE game you wanted to go to, to see your home country in your adoptive country. I know $560 it's a lot to be up there, but I also think that in the current environment, that's not that bad (specially since people with FV CAT2 tickets might have ended up in similar blocks due to FIFA's shenanigans).

Also, I didn't know they were doing the Front Row stuff for CAT3. Might be worth something keeping in mind...

 

Thanks, I'll be checking that out. A bus would be clutch. Anything to avoid an overpriced means of transport...

 

Hopefully if you are spending 20,000 on a pair it is just chump change for you and you can go "ho hum, back to my private jet so I can get back to my Summer mansion in Beverly hills. I will watch it on my 100" television on my giant yacht later"

 

The truth is that WC fans might get little sympathy from regular commuters:
https://www.reddit.com/r/NJTransit/comments/1slcrr1/comment/og5rybw/

NJTransit parking and train tickets went up recently for several ordinary commuters. However, NJTransit train infrastructure keeps breaking down.

Everyone is eating a shit sandwich out there. No tears shed for WC fans expecting free transportation like in Russia/Qatar.

 

A comment from that thread: All the host cities are pissed because FIFA negotiated lopsided deals with them to essentially outsource all the hosting costs and privatize all the profits. FIFA is going to make $10+ billion from this World Cup and all the host cities are on the hook for hundreds of millions of dollars each.

This seems to be the gist of it. Thing is - the cities signed these deals. They probably knew it'd be politically unpopular to cover the costs with people's taxes, so they signed these deals knowing they'd pass on the costs to the people attending the games...

 

I love that for some matches FIFA is charging more for tickets than people are selling them for on Stubhub. That about sums up this cursed World Cup.

 

Legitamate point.
It is not only that, though. Part of the fun of a WC is living in Planet Football. Being in a bar or wherever watching the match before/after the match you are attending.
With some of these logistics challenges, thete wont be much of that in some locations
People really need to get a hold now of just what their logistics will be.
It is just as important as the match tickets at this stage.

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/NJTransit/s/5X1xquOzOh

This is a bad one. This assumption that WC attendees at the Netjets class.

 

Yeah and they think the only game at the MetLife is the final…

 

Personally I think patience will pay off big time, terrible value for money but if it gives a nice peace of mind then surely it is worth every penny to you. Each to his own!

 

I disagree.

All host cities signed those agreements, but transportation gouging is currently reported in just two of them. That pair happen to use stadiums far removed from the actual host cities.

Without reading the actual agreements, we cannot be certain who promised what. All we know is that FIFA stopped funding FIFA Fan Fests and no US city will subsidize free transportation for WC fans.

I bet host cities in Mexico and Canada are not paying for fan transportation either.

 

Fair. There's still time for all of those cities to announce their own premium pricing schemes, but yeah, up until now, we only know of two. I guess we'll find out soon.

The Foxboro news though really made me think they either didn't want it or knew from the get go they'd transfer the costs to the fans. I began having the same thought about NJ when they first announced the paid fan fests (I think they were the first to do so) and then cancelled them (before bringing them back with a much smaller footprint)

 

NJ commuters are aware of several matches at MetLife: those matches will disrupt their normal commute from work, so they are planning ahead.

They might not be soccer fans, but they are trying to be aware of all train service disruptions caused by those WC matches.

 

Don't let them see BigSoccer threads where our well-traveled WC fans keep bringing up free transportation in far away places like Russia or Qatar.

You know, regular fellas who just want subsidized local transportation while traveling across the world.

It is like the FIFA-mindset has effectively spread to those WC fans: I should always be exempt from paying.

 

Yeah, the Foxboro thing is a whole discussion about failed budget management. Perhaps something for the WC news thread.

 

Speaking of NJTransit, are the timetables on the website already up to date for the summer, or do we need to wait more? B/c right now it's showing me how to get from my NJ home base to MetLife with the bus for $4.90 in 1h15mins, which would be sweet

 

FIFA repriced a few games just now. As usual, the face value changes all went in the same direction (up). Maybe there will be another ticket drop tomorrow?

 

I clicked around for a bit and couldn't quite assess what changed and for which games. Are they charging more for the front row seats?? I imagine this must be for games like M49

 

Nice move man! Just check the "issued date" of your bus timetable pdf, if you are concerned. I think you are golden though.

Edit: hopefully you won't have to fight for a bus on the way back. Good luck.

 

Someone is saying that matches 19, 22, 43, and 66 got repriced. 8%, 10% and 13%. IS it true?

 

I wouldn't doubt that FIFA is going to release new "prime" seats across the main sidelines and use that to raise prices. Never mind we all bought seats at prices under the understanding those were seats we could get assigned.