FIFA braces for World Cup travel chaos after New York confirms NBA event not seen this millennium

World Cup 2026 kicks off in Mexico City and Zapopan on June 11 before the first games in Canada and the United States the following day.

Mauricio Pochettino's United States will play in the first game on home turf on June 11. Paraguay will be their opponents at SoFi Stadium.

11 of the 16 World Cup 2026 venues are in the United States and the final on July 19 will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The matter of travel costs between New York City and the Meadowlands has been hotly discussed in the build-up to the World Cup. NJ Transit attracted global attention when it set its fares for travel to the eight fixtures at the home of the NFL's New York Jets and New York Giants.

NJ Transit's CEO denied price gouging despite announcing a 1000% price hike between Penn Station and MetLife on the stadium's eight World Cup matchdays.

MetLife will hold its first World Cup fixture on June 13 when Brazil face Morocco in Group C, and game two, between France and Senegal on June 16, promises to contribute to a busy day on the rails across the Hudson and Hackensack rivers.

The NFL is in the depths of the off-season and the New Jersey Devils of the NHL failed to qualify for the playoffs after another dismal season in Newark, but the NBA Playoff schedule could keep things sweaty at Manhattan's Penn Station.

Madison Square Garden and the station are right next door to one another the the New York Knicks are scheduled to play in Game 6 of the NBA Finals at the Garden on June 16.

The Knicks will face the San Antonio Spurs for the title of NBA champions after seeing off the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Oklahoma City Thunder, respectively, in their conference finals.

New York Knicks hold the key to avoiding a clash?

Only one of the possible home games for the Knicks clashes with a World Cup match, with the series rearranged to avoid the opening World Cup match for the USMNT.

Mike Brown's Knicks finished third in the Eastern Conference in the 2025-26 regular season but have been emphatic in the NBA Playoffs. They haven't reached the NBA Finals since 1998-99 and won both of their NBA championships in the seventies.

The New Yorkers will be hoping to avoid the need for a Game 6 at all. They've dropped just two of their 14 postseason games, winning their last two series against the Philadelphia 76ers and the Cavaliers 4-0.

While the city is likely to be extremely busy regardless, Game 6 would begin at 8.30pm local time. France vs Senegal is a 3.00pm kick-off.