Boston area soccer fans better start saving now if they’re planning on taking the train to Gillette Stadium for the 2026 World Cup.
The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority confirmed on Monday that a round-trip ticket from stations in the center of Boston to the stadium will cost $80, quadrupling the price of a ticket that would normally cost event goers $20 under normal circumstances.
And The Athletic reported on Monday that the Boston host committee is planning on running bus service to and from matches in Foxborough, with tickets possibly costing as much as $90.
A sign advertising the FIFA World Cup 2026 is seen outside of Faneuil Hall Marketplace on March 10, 2026 in Boston. Getty Images The sticker shock for the mass transit options alone is sure to be another thorn in the side of soccer fans who have already become weary of the remarkably high cost surrounding the World Cup, which is set to begin in a little more than two months.
Gillette Stadium is set to host seven matches during the World Cup, which includes matches that feature England’s national team.
In a post on social media, the Free Lions, the Football Supporters’ Association’s Fans’ Embassy service for travelling England fans, condemned the transit pricing.
“At what is normally a $20 return, we are incredibly disappointed that this has been allowed to happen,” the group wrote. “For a stadium so far away from its advertised location, all organisers had a duty to ensure supporters could get there sustainably and for a fair price. Unfortunately, like much with this tournament, supporters are gouged.”
The 2026 World Cup has been billed as a watershed moment for soccer in the United States, it has faced strong criticism from American fans and those across the globe over the exorbitant ticket prices to get into matches.
FIFA raised the top ticket price for the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium to $10,990 as soccer’s governing body released a new round of tickets last Wednesday, which jumped from $8,680 during the last wave of tickets that went on sale.
Brazil forward Luiz Henrique dribbles against France in the second half of a friendly at Gillette Stadium on March 26, 2026. Boston Globe via Getty Images Category 2 tickets increased to $7,380 from $5,575 in December and category 3 tickets spiked to $5,785 from $4,185.
The news from Boston came on the same day it was reported that parts of Penn Station would be closed to everyone except World Cup ticket holders on the day of matches at MetLife Stadium this summer, which would potentially leave New Jersey commuters stranded.
The plan, which was first reported by NorthJersey.com, would only allow match ticket holders to ride the rails from Penn Station into the Garden State on NJ Transit for four hours before the start of the game.
“We are working closely with FIFA and our regional transportation partners to finalize a comprehensive mobility plan for the tournament,” a spokesperson for the New York-New Jersey World Cup host committee told The Post. “We will not speak to specific details until the full plan is released, which we look forward to announcing in the coming weeks.”
