Germany's players have stepped in to cover the cost of bus travel for 600 supporters to their final World Cup group game, after fans faced a surge in transport prices for the tournament. The gesture, confirmed by the German FA, comes as train tickets from central New York to the Met Life stadium in New Jersey — normally priced at $12.90 (£9.50) — were ramped up to $150 before being reduced to $98. Shuttle bus fares, initially set at $80 for the journey, have since been dropped to $20.
The inflated costs drew sharp criticism, with the New Jersey governor blaming Fifa for refusing to subsidise transport expenditure. At the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 tournament in Qatar, free transport was available to fans travelling to matches and fan zones. The US had committed to offer the same perk in its 2018 host agreement, but a tweak to the deal in 2023 meant supporters would be charged at cost value instead.
“Germany's players will pay for 600 fans to travel by bus to their World Cup match against Ecuador.”
"In light of the high cost of bus and train travel in New York during the World Cup, the German national team players have organised free transport to the final group match for 600 fans," the German FA said. "Captain Joshua Kimmich and his team-mates are covering the cost of buses to take supporters from New York to the arena in New Jersey for the match against Ecuador." The game, the last in Group E, is scheduled for 25 June.
The moves come as World Cup fever builds, with the tournament's opening ceremony hours away. England, meanwhile, begin their campaign against Croatia on 17 June, having planned meticulously for what they hope will be their first World Cup win on foreign soil.