The NJ Transit shoe has already dropped, a few times, regarding its plans for managing the unprecedented crowds flocking to MetLife for this summer’s FIFA World Cup games. Now it’s New York City’s turn.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Friday announced a sweeping transportation plan for midtown Manhattan on those match dates (June 13, 16, 22, 25, 27, 30 and July 5 and 19), one that will see streets detoured, a temporary conversion of 42nd Street, and restricted delivery hours, among other measures, to keep traffic flowing.
The overall strategy is to direct World Cup-related transportation to specific corridors within Midtown, the mayor’s office says, in hopes of mitigating impacts on New Yorkers.
The administration’s plan has three main components.
Match day bus lanes
Access on the following bus corridors and lanes will be limited to NYNJ Stadium shuttle buses and MTA local buses, as well as official World Cup affiliate vehicles and emergency vehicles.
The dedicated space on all five streets will begin six hours before local matches start, and last for up to three hours after each match ends.
Penn Station Queuing
NJ TRANSIT has announced it will limit outbound rail service from Penn Station to FIFA World Cup 2026 ticketholders beginning about four hours before matches and reopening three hours after they conclude.
Match tickets and NJ TRANSIT tickets will be checked and validated before entering Penn Station.
To accommodate street-level queues, the city will close 33rd Street between Sixth and Eighth avenues to vehicles as well as 32nd Street between Sixth and Seventh avenues. Vehicles will not be permitted access to these blocks and should plan for detours.
In order to support high-capacity operations and ensure public safety, regular commuters not attending the match can use their rail ticket or pass, with New York as an origin or destination station, for alternate travel options available at no additional cost using PATH train service from the 33rd Street Station as well as NJ TRANSIT bus service from Port Authority Bus Terminal.
Midtown delivery restrictions
Truck deliveries in Midtown will be restricted six hours before each NYNJ Stadium Match begins until three hours after each match concludes. The truck restrictions will be in place on match days only, between 30th and 60th streets from the East River to the Hudson.
Restrictions apply only to trucks. Smaller delivery vehicles like cars, vans, and cargo bikes are exempt. Emergency vehicles, service vehicles and essential delivery providers are also exempt.
NYC Ferry Service has already been upped to meet the summer’s increased demand. Citi Bike will operate normally on match days, while the MTA reminds people why they need to take the trains. Congestion pricing, of course, also remains in effect.
