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As the FIFA World Cup approaches, headlines about the high cost tournament goers will need to fork up to get the — also high cost — games at some host cities have drawn frustration from soccer fans and government leaders.
For fans in Philly, paying for the SEPTA ride home will not be a concern as they head home the Linc.
Airbnb will sponsor Broad Street Line trains leaving from NRG Station at the sports complex after all six games in Philadelphia.
“Accessibility has been a central priority for Philadelphia Soccer 2026 since our bid, and we are grateful to Airbnb for sharing our fan-centered vision for FIFA World Cup in
Philadelphia,” said Daniel Hilferty, co-chair of Philadelphia Soccer 2026.
The complimentary rides will begin from each game’s halftime and continue for two hours after the final whistle. Rides down to the games will still be charged, but SEPTA will keep that cost at the regular $2.90. SEPTA is also getting an additional $5.5 million in federal funds for extra service during the World Cup.
“SEPTA is proud to partner with Airbnb and Philadelphia Soccer 2026 to provide free, convenient transit for fans leaving FIFA World Cup matches in Philadelphia,” said SEPTA General Manager Scott Sauer. “The B Line is the best way to get to and from the Sports Complex, and their generous support will help us deliver a safe, reliable, and efficient trip home for visitors and residents alike.”
Philly’s low public transportation costs are in stark contrast to its neighboring host cities. For Boston’s games at Foxboro’s Gillette Stadium, fans can either take a roundtrip bus for $95 or a train ticket for up to $80 to get to any of the seven games there. The same return rail tickets to get to Patriots games were just $20.
For the eight games at New Jersey’s Met Life Stadium, including the tournament final, a return trip from New York City’s Penn Station will cost $150 for those taking rail and $80 bus service provided by New York/New Jersey’s joint host committee.
N.J. Gov. Mikie Sherrill has criticised the agreement with FIFA her administration inherited, which she says will cost NJ transit at least $48 million, and called on FIFA, who she says are poised to make $11 billion from the tournament, to cover transportation costs. FIFA has pushed back on her requests.
News from Boston also led to speculation that tailgating around the Linc, which will be called Philadelphia Stadium during the tournament for sponsorship reasons, will be banned during the tournament. Philadelphia Soccer 2026 CEO Meg Kane said that the final decision on that ultimately comes down to FIFA, the Eagles, and their contract.
“There is no organization that I trust more to handle the tailgating experience than the Philadelphia Eagles. They do it well. They do it big and they know that fans are excited by that,” Kane clarified at a fundraiser on Thursday. “I think that ultimately the fan experience in Philadelphia will be reflective of the fan experience in Philadelphia that we are all used to, that we’ve all seen. What the extent of that will be, will it be different than what a game day for the Eagles is? Absolutely.”
Private companies covering the public transit costs for sports fans isn’t new. Last year during SEPTA’s funding crisis and cuts to services, online bookmaker FanDuel paid to restore regular service ahead of the Eagles’ season opener against the Cowboys. SEPTA’s funding issues have been resolved, for now.
Kane said that part of what helped Philly win its bid for World Cup games in the first place was FIFA seeing the business and philanthropic communities abilities to step up with private financing, which have also helped the host committee adapt to all the political and operational changes since the city won its hosting bid in 2022.
“So from that perspective, we have been nimble as an organization to be thoughtful around the request that we made of the public sector, whether it was city, state, and ultimately federal related to safety and security,” she said. “So from our perspective, it was a matter of how we make the right asks that will align with what will be beneficial to both residents and fans and benefit the city and the Commonwealth overall, but ultimately with safety and security as at the core of this.”
Philly’s six games are as follows:
Group stage (all times are ET)
June 14 at 7 p.m: Group E – Ivory Coast vs Ecuador
June 19 at 9 p.m: Group C – Brazil vs Haiti
June 22 at 5 p.m: Group I – France vs Iraq
June 25 at 4 p.m: Group E – Curaçao vs Ivory Coast
June 27 at 5 p.m. Group L – Croatia vs Ghana
Round of 16
July 4, 5 p.m: Winner of Match 74 in Boston vs. Winner of Match 77 in New York/New Jersey
We have a World Cup guide that offers a crash course about the teams and players you’ll likely see in the city this summer, how you can watch the games and follow all the soccer festivities around the city, and which local soccer players could make the U.S. team for the competition.
