World Cup action returned to East Rutherford, New Jersey on Saturday evening, with 80,663 fans watching Brazil and Morocco draw 1-1 in the Group C opener.
The highly-anticipated match between two heavy hitters lived up to the hype, and the atmosphere fully felt like a World Cup game: Brazilian fans largely outnumbered Moroccan supporters and waved tifos of Pelé, Ronaldo, and other Brazilian legends moments before kickoff.
The sounds of drums, cheers, and chants of "Vamos Para Frente Brasil!" were heard all evening, despite the five-time champions' disappointing performance.
Definitely a lot more Brazil fans. It’s pretty much a sea of yellow shirts compared to red shirts here at MetLife: pic.twitter.com/8JIk7oo0iv
— Matthew Mangam (@MatthewMangam) June 13, 2026
The game, however, wasn't the only big storyline on Saturday.
With the removal of parking at MetLife Stadium itself for spectators during the World Cup due to FIFA security concerns, all focus switched to answering the question: How would fans — especially from New York — get to the matches?
The options were $98 round-trip NJ Transit tickets, $20 stadium shuttle buses with service from midtown Manhattan and back, rideshare apps like Uber, or reserved parking spots at the nearby American Dream Mall which were priced at $225 per car.
One São Paulo native named Allen, who traveled to the United States to watch Brazil, went with NJ Transit, and said there was "not a lot of overcrowding."
"It was very nice," he told the New York Soccer Journal at the stadium. "Very expensive, especially for Brazilians, but it was okay."
Mehdi, who traveled from Morocco, took a shuttle bus from New York City to MetLife and didn't have any issues.
"It was perfect, just a little bit of traffic, but overall, the experience was good," he said.
After the game ended, though, more issues started to arise. Massive lines started to form, especially at the designated rideshare area. People were waiting for their Ubers or Lyfts to arrive, but the drivers couldn't access the pickup area, leaving many stranded for hours.
The shuttle service back to New York was slower than the ride to the game. Part of that was because the city turned into gridlock during the New York Knicks' NBA championship celebration, but the shuttles still ultimately looked like the better choice than ridesharing.
Transportation from MetLife back to NYC via $20 bus service was hard work (obviously a unique situation given Knicks). Took 1hr 30 to get on a bus, then 2hrs+ to get back into the city in gridlocked traffic. Needs more people off the roads riding NJ Transit rail - but it’s $98….
— Adam Crafton (@AdamCrafton_) June 14, 2026
The fastest of the three options seemed to be NJ Transit, which "successfully moved 21,578 fans from today’s match at NYNJ Stadium via bus and rail in 90 minutes," according to a post from the official account.
It remains to be seen what the travel experience will be like for the remaining seven matches at MetLife, but it may be too early to start celebrating.
Still, New York/New Jersey committee officials, such as Governor Mikie Sherrill and the former First Lady of New Jersey, Tammy Murphy, continue to encourage fans to use NJ Transit. It might be the most effective, but the $98 price tag is deterring many.
"NJ Transit has the capacity of 40,000 people; they had 18,000 people who used NJ Transit," Murphy said at the opening of the New Jersey fan hub at Sports Illustrated Stadium. "We need to encourage everyone, please, lean in and use public transit."
Andrew Leigh
