Germany's national football team players will cover the costs to transport 600 fans by bus from New York City to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey for their last Group E match against Ecuador on June 25 [1, 2, 3].
The German Football Association said the players, including captain Joshua Kimmich, are funding the buses to alleviate the unusually high transport expenses in New York during the World Cup. "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 association 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" [1].
Train fares from New York to MetLife Stadium normally cost about $12.90 but were increased to $150 before being lowered slightly to $98 amid criticism [1, 2, 3]. Shuttle bus fares initially set at $80 have also been cut to $20 for fans traveling to the stadium [1, 2, 3]. Authorities raised prices due to the extra strain on public transport and because FIFA refused to subsidize fan travel expenses [1, 2, 3].
Previous World Cups in Russia and Qatar provided free transport for fans to matches and official fan zones. A 2023 change to the 2018 host agreement ended that practice, requiring supporters to pay cost value for World Cup travel [1].
Germany, four-time World Cup champions, began their tournament campaign on June 14 in Houston against Curacao [2, 3]. Their second Group E match will be followed by the June 25 game against Ecuador at MetLife Stadium, where the free bus transport will be available for the 600 fans [1, 2, 3].
