In less than two weeks, Brazil and Morocco will meet at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J., and close to 80,000 fans who have paid thousands of dollars for World Cup tickets and accommodations will have one last calculation to make: Bus, train, taxi or road rage?
The options are limited, and the available spots are dwindling. And quite likely expensive.
“This isn’t just another Sunday Jets game,” Justin Brannan, the senior director of major event operations for Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York, said about the preparations.
“You can’t just roll up in your Toyota and drop off your friends five feet from the door,” he said.
Unlike most major events hosted at MetLife Stadium, there will be virtually no parking available on the premises, because of heightened security at the venue.
Traffic between Midtown Manhattan and the Meadowlands is expected to be heavy, and New Jersey officials have advised residents to work from home on game days if possible. The New York-New Jersey region will host eight matches, beginning with the Brazil-Morocco match on Saturday, June 13, and ending with the final on July 19.
But there are a limited number of tickets available for each of the public transit options to attend the games, which means last-minute planners could get stuck with one of the costlier or more arduous routes to MetLife. (Don’t even think about walking there, the host committee has warned.)
Here is a breakdown of what ticket holders — and commuters caught in the middle of World Cup mania — can expect.
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