World Cup tickets have become one of the biggest talking points before the tournament, with supporters facing huge costs to attend games across North America.
This is already shaping up to be far more expensive than recent editions. Flights, accommodation and transport are all major issues, but the price of simply getting inside stadiums has stood out most.
There is, however, one exciting initiative for fans local to the area. A total of 770 free tickets are being made available for World Cup games at MetLife Stadium.
How New Jersey fans can get free World Cup tickets
According to The Athletic, the New York New Jersey host committee has made 770 tickets available for free to New Jerseyans.
The tickets have been donated through host committee partners Uber and Hackensack Meridian Health, working with the host committee and New Jersey governor Mikie Sherrill.
This is not a normal public sale through FIFA’s ticketing portal. The tickets are set to be distributed directly through community routes, with youth soccer clubs, families of deployed National Guard members, first responders, healthcare workers, patients and local community groups among those expected to benefit.
The free tickets are for World Cup matches at MetLife Stadium, but not the final. The stadium is hosting eight games in total, including five group-stage matches, two knockout games and the tournament finale on July 19th.
For the people selected, this could be the only realistic route into a World Cup game. Demand is still high, but the cost of attending has become a serious barrier for many local fans.
That problem has been impossible to ignore. There are still almost 180,000 resale tickets available, with some matches struggling to sell out despite the tournament being so close.
There has also been widespread criticism of how tickets have been priced and sold, with FIFA ordered to explain prices after subpoenas from New York and New Jersey officials.
For most supporters, going to a World Cup game at MetLife Stadium still feels like a pipe dream. But not for the 770 lucky New Jerseyans who will get the chance to be there for free.
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