New Jersey lowered its round-trip fare to World Cup games at MetLife ​Stadium to $105 from $150 on Thursday, local media ‌reported, after the original price drew criticism from FIFA.

The reduced fare still dwarfs the less ​than $15 the same route costs on ​a typical day and exceeds the $80 round-trip ⁠fare for FIFA’s own shuttle service ​to the 82,500-seat stadium, which will host ​eight World Cup matches, including the final on July 19.

The CEO of New Jersey’s public transportation provider ​, NJ Transit, Kris Kolluri, had last ​month cited the need for increased security and a ‌higher ⁠number of passengers due to the closure of public parking around the stadium to justify the fare hike.

Reuters has contacted NJ Transit ​for comment ​on the ⁠price change.

The 2026 World Cup’s Chief Operating Officer, Heimo Schirgi, ​said the original $150 price would have “a ​chilling ⁠effect” on fans.

New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill previously said FIFA should pay for the ⁠rides, ​as NJ Transit had ​been “stuck with a $48 million bill” to ensure fan safety.

-Reuters

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 U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement will not be seen at World Cup matches this summer, according to the co-chair of the Miami host committee.

Rodney Barreto told The Athletic ​on Thursday that he received reassurances from Secretary of State Marco Rubio that ‌ICE would steer clear of the World Soccer Showcase.

“ICE is not going to be at the stadium,” Barreto told The Athletic. “This is not going to turn into some ‘round them up’ type of thing. ​That’s not the purpose of this.

“It’ll be a great experience for everybody. I ​think that we’re lucky that we do have a president who loves ⁠sports and has given us the resources to reimburse the cities for their police ​protection.”

Barreto added, “I spoke to Marco and, first of all, he’s going to make sure that ​the passports get processed and people can get here and there is an orderly process so people won’t be held up. It’s going to be a major undertaking by the federal government to do ​that. We feel very comfortable that we’re going to be in good hands.”

The deployment of ​ICE for immigration-enforcement raids has increased since Donald Trump began his second stint as president last year, ‌igniting ⁠a significant political debate in the U.S.

South Florida’s role as a World Cup host market also comes against the backdrop of scenes from the 2024 Copa America championship game, when fans stormed the gates at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., causing a ​number of injuries and ​delaying the start of ⁠the Argentina-Colombia match.

“(The Miami World Cup organizing committee) took the position that we didn’t want to be critical of the planners of ​that event,” Barreto told The Athletic. “It wasn’t our event. But now ​that time ⁠has passed, I would tell you that where the failure was, which was that there were no perimeters.

“People without tickets should have been nowhere near the entrance ways of that stadium. ⁠It ​didn’t take much to overrun an entrance. But listen, ​you learn from all these events, and you learn to do it better and come up with different scenarios ​which mitigate this from happening in the future. So that’s where we’re at.”

South Florida’s role as a World Cup host market also comes against the backdrop of scenes from the 2024 Copa America championship game, when fans stormed the gates at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Fla., causing a ​number of injuries and ​delaying the start of ⁠the Argentina-Colombia match.

“(The Miami World Cup organizing committee) took the position that we didn’t want to be critical of the planners of ​that event,” Barreto told The Athletic. “It wasn’t our event. But now ​that time ⁠has passed, I would tell you that where the failure was, which was that there were no perimeters.

“People without tickets should have been nowhere near the entrance ways of that stadium. ⁠It ​didn’t take much to overrun an entrance.

“But listen, ​you learn from all these events, and you learn to do it better and come up with different scenarios ​which mitigate this from happening in the future. So that’s where we’re at.”

-Reuters

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By Kunle Solaja.

FIFA has officially confirmed that all 48 participating nations at the 2026 FIFA World Cup must submit their final squad lists by June 2, when the official player rosters will also be unveiled.

According to FIFA, national football associations may announce their squads earlier, but the lists will only become official after approval by the world governing body on the stipulated date.

The squad format for the expanded tournament will remain the same as at the Qatar 2022 World Cup, with each country allowed to register up to 26 players.

The registration process will begin with a provisional phase during which teams must submit an internal list containing between 35 and 55 players, including at least four goalkeepers. FIFA stated that these preliminary lists will remain confidential and unpublished until May 11.

After the provisional stage, participating nations will then be required to submit their final squad of between 23 and 26 players, with a minimum of three goalkeepers included.

FIFA also clarified the rules regarding player replacements after the June 2 deadline. Outfield players can only be replaced in cases of serious injury or illness and must be substituted no later than 24 hours before a team’s opening match. Goalkeepers, however, may be replaced at any stage during the competition under similar circumstances.

The governing body further stressed that every player selected must hold the nationality of the country they are representing and remain under the jurisdiction of the respective participating member association.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, will be the first edition to feature 48 teams.

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