Joshua Kimmich and German Squad to Fund Free Bus Shuttles for Fans in New York Amid Exorbitant Travel Costs

The German men’s national team players have come together to fund their supporters’ travel costs for the final group game of the FIFA World Cup 2026. Germany is scheduled to face the South American team Ecuador on June 25th to conclude their group stage at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The steep price of transit connections between downtown New York and the New York/New Jersey stadium has been a central point of conversation for the past few months. Though the prices have come down to $98 from the previous $150, a round-trip New Jersey Transit train remains an expensive additional cost for visiting fans. In comparison, the Euro, hosted two years ago in their home nation, travel was free for the fans with a ticket.

The New Jersey governor, Mikie Sherrill, held that FIFA’s refusal to cover supporters’ travel charges has forced them to hike the prices to protect the local taxpayers. The price hike (normally the round-trip costs $12.98) has added stress for foreign fans already reeling from the travel costs from Germany to the USA, as well as the high hotel charges.

The senior members of the Joshua Kimmich-led team have banded together to relieve some of the stress with the free shuttle on their final group stage game. The German Football Association (DFB) has issued a statement announcing that the team has arranged a free shuttle for many of the 4,000 registered fans huddled in the city. Fans who wish to avail themselves of the service are invited to register on the team’s website.

If there are more applicants, a random draw will be used to select the fans, who shall be notified by June 11. The FIFA World Cup 2026 has faced a lot of heat in the past few weeks over travel and parking.

🇩🇪👏 A classy gesture from Germany's players.

Led by captain Joshua Kimmich, the squad has arranged charter buses to offer free transport for many of the 4,000 registered fans travelling to MetLife Stadium for their World Cup clash with Ecuador. 🇪🇨

The move comes after local… pic.twitter.com/LqxKRU2BV2

— Thierry Nyann 🇬🇭 (@nyannthierry) June 11, 2026

The hosts, particularly the United States of America, have been criticized by the international community for the unwelcoming behavior that has taken center stage in the last week. The country has reportedly denied visas for several fans from South America, Asia, and Africa.

They have also delayed the visa procedures for players and staff. Morocco’s Zakaria El Ouahdi was forced to wait and missed the team’s initial flight, while Somali referee Omar Artan and Iraqi national team photographer Talal Salah were sent back.

Germany looking for a deeper run after missing out on knockouts in the last two editions

The World Cup-winning curse has hit Germany very hard after its fourth title in 2014. The Germans failed to qualify beyond the group stage in Russia and Qatar, finishing fourth and third, respectively.

The former champions are drawn in Group E alongside debutants Curacao, the Ivory Coast, and Ecuador. As the higher-ranked team, Germany has higher odds of topping the group and sailing into the knockouts. The team’s loaded with several high-profile players, from veteran Manuel Neuer to Kai Havertz, who’s in stellar form recently, and promising young guns to bolster the squad depth.

Nonetheless, their group-stage opponents can’t be easily written off. Ivory Coast is coming into the tournament with a confidence boost after beating France in their final warm-up game. Amad Diallo and Guela Doue scored for the Ivory Coast, while Rayan Cherki netted the sole goal for the 2022 runners-up. The French team fielded some of its major players, including Kylian Mbappe, but they were substituted early.

Ecuador is also not far from staging an upset, having forced the Netherlands to a draw in April. As for their World Cup preparations, they defeated Saudi Arabia and Guatemala. In case Germany finishes in second place and is the division runners-up, they will draw the runners-up in Group I. That would mean a potential match against France or Norway in the Round of 32.

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