Germany’s national team has stepped in to help supporters attend its final World Cup group-stage match by covering transport costs for hundreds of fans following widespread criticism of travel prices during the tournament.
The players have agreed to pay for buses transporting 600 German supporters from New York to New Jersey for the team’s Group E clash against Ecuador on 25 June. The match will be played at MetLife Stadium, one of the key venues for the World Cup.
The move comes after fans voiced frustration over sharply increased transportation costs around tournament venues. Train fares between central New York and MetLife Stadium, a route that typically costs around $12.90 (£9.50), were initially raised to $150 for World Cup visitors before later being reduced to $98.
Bus services also attracted criticism after shuttle fares were set at $80 for a similar journey. Those prices have since been cut to $20.
In a statement, the German Football Association said the squad had decided to support fans directly because of the unusually high travel expenses.
The federation confirmed that captain Joshua Kimmich and his team-mates would fund buses carrying 600 supporters from New York to the stadium in New Jersey for the decisive group match against Ecuador.
Transport pricing has become a talking point throughout the tournament. New Jersey’s governor recently suggested that elevated fares were linked to FIFA’s decision not to subsidise transportation costs during the competition.
At previous World Cups in Russia and Qatar, fans were able to use free public transport to travel to matches and designated fan zones. The United States had originally pledged a similar arrangement in its 2018 bid commitments.
However, changes made to the hosting agreement in 2023 altered that plan, with supporters instead required to pay transportation costs themselves at market rates. Germany’s players have now chosen to ease that burden for a portion of their travelling fanbase ahead of one of the team’s most important matches of the group stage.