New Jersey gets a red card when it comes to World Cup travel.
Out of all 16 North American host cities for the international tournament, The Meadowlands is dead last in terms of convenience and cost for ticketholders trying to get to games, according to a new study from travel company Holafly.
The Garden State site has the most expensive and limited transportation options, the company found, with only the official World Cup bus service and New Jersey Transit available for those trying to get to MetLife Stadium.
Tri-state footie fans will be scooped up for roundtrip services by the official buses from three locations: the Port Authority Bus Terminal; in Midtown East at a location near Grand Central Station; and the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine in New Jersey.
Straphangers taking NJ Transit will need to get to Secaucus Junction, where they will be able to pick up a direct shuttle train to MetLife Stadium.
Those limited options are also the most expensive of any city, with an average roundtrip train ticket to the Meadowlands costing $12.90 — which is three times the $4.02 average cost of a roundtrip ticket in the other host cities, according to the study.
A roundtrip ticket on NJ Transit from Penn Station to the game will cost $98. While the price seems steep the amount was lowered from an initial $150 per round trip proposed by Garden State pols, after an outcry at the 775% increase over normal ticket prices.
NJ Transit will further make use of two 600-person ferry boats to float fans across the Hudson River from Weehawken back to NYC.
The Meadowlands trek is also one of the longest, clocking in at an average of 47.5 minutes which was fourth longest amongst all cities, shorter than only San Francisco, Mexico City, and well-known traffic hellscape Los Angeles, according to the study.
Houston, which was ranked as the best place to watch a World Cup match, offers eight transit options with an average train ride costing just $2.50.
The top three host cities to catch a match are Houston, Texas, Monterrey, Mexico, and Vancouver, Canada.
The bottom three just ahead of New Jersey are Dallas, Texas, Guadalajara, Mexico, and Miami, Florida, according to the study.
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