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Excerpts from reporting by Adam Crafton

*There will be 18,000 bus seats available for the five World Cup games at MetLife, including the World Cup final on July 19, that do not take place on school days. There will be 12,000 seats available for the three group stage games at MetLife that fall on weekdays before the school year ends.*

*The Athletic can reveal that New York State, led by Gov. Kathy Hochul, has invested $6 million to help bring down prices, and fans who have already purchased $80 tickets will receive $60 refunds to bring their ticket cost down to $20. As a condition of the investment, Hochul told The Athletic that “around 20 percent” of bus tickets will be reserved exclusively for New York state residents who have purchased match tickets, ensuring the funding brings value to local taxpayers. According to those with knowledge of tickets purchased for games at MetLife Stadium, around 25 to 30 percent have been bought by residents of the New York/New Jersey region.*

*The investment by New York State was accompanied by an intervention by Highland Fleets, an American company that manages some of the largest electric school bus fleets. After witnessing the response to the original ticket pricing, Highland reached out to the office of New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, asking how they might be able to support the event and help reduce costs. The mayor’s office, in turn, put Highland in touch with the New York governor’s office and Alex Lasry, the chief executive of the joint New York/New Jersey host committee. Lasry then worked with Highland and New York City School Bus Umbrella Services to secure the increased number of buses, with around 300 in total set to be in use on the busiest matchdays.*