Germany’s national team players have offered free transport for their supporters’ travel to the final group game of the World Cup.
The Germans are due to face Ecuador in New Jersey on June 25th, where much of the pre-tournament discussion has centred on the prohibitive cost of transfer tickets from downtown New York to the New York/New Jersey Stadium.
Currently, a bus ticket for the journey costs $20, while a round-trip on the New Jersey Transit train will cost supporters $98, despite normally costing €12.90. New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill has blamed the increase on FIFA’s refusal to cover the cost of supporter travel at the World Cup and has defended the pricing decision as a way of protecting local taxpayers.
For German supporters, it will be a dramatic contrast. At the 2024 European Championship, which was staged in Germany, travel on local trains was free with a valid match ticket. For fans already struggling with expensive air and hotel fares, the extra cost is another burden.
In response, a group of senior players within head-coach Julian Nagelsmann’s squad, led by captain Joshua Kimmich, have tried to alleviate some of that pressure by subsidising the journey.
On Monday, the German Football Association sent emails to members of its registered fan groups, which The Athletic has seen and verified.
“We will give our all — both on and off the pitch — to ensure we share a successful and unforgettable tournament,” it read.
“Your support means the world to us. We are fully aware of the sacrifices you are making to join us this summer, especially the financial ones. That is why, as a team, we want to give something back and help you with the particularly challenging journey to the stadium in New York. For our group match against Ecuador on June 25, 2026, in New Jersey, we have arranged a free bus shuttle for you.”
The shuttles organised will have space for 4,000 supporters. Those who are interested in taking up the offer were invited to register on the DFB’s website. If demand exceeded 4,000, the email explained, then those receiving places on the shuttles would be drawn randomly and notified by 11th June.
“We hope this makes a small part of our big journey together a bit easier, the message continued. “See you in New York! Your national team.”
Germany team building bridges with supporters
The Germans were eliminated in the group stage of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. As a four-time winner (most recently in 2014), they are one of the most successful countries in the tournament’s history. The back-to-back eliminations represented unprecedented failure and provoked not only a sharp backlash from the public, but also a significant disengagement. German football has strong regional identity and many supporters feel a far greater affinity with their club teams than they do the national team.
With the underperformance in 2018 and 2022, and what was judged an inadequate response by the players to the political issues presented by the latter, enthusiasm waned significantly. Between those two tournaments, the domestic television audience for Germany’s games roughly halved.
Germany suffered a shock group-stage exit at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar (Stuart Franklin/Getty Images)
Recent years have been more positive. Nagelsmann, who was appointed in 2023, led the side to the quarter-finals at the home Euros in 2024, where they lost to eventual champions Spain. And, while results in the two years have been mixed and the side has faced criticism for performances, the mood surrounding the team is significantly improved and they enter the World Cup among the favourites.
The free buses should help further; they have been received extremely positively by fans and local media, who have praised their players for the gesture.
Germany begin the tournament against Curacao on June 14 in Houston. They will then face Ivory Coast in Toronto on June 20, before that final game against Ecuador.
