World Cup Readiness—Public Transportation Leads the Way

Years of planning for the 2026 World Cup is paying off as transit agencies move fans safely to matches, festivals, and other destinations, while smashing ridership records. Agencies are sharing what it’s like to take transit to the matches and posting about their efforts to make the games special for visitors and daily riders.

In Seattle, WA, Sound Transit’s Link light rail broke a ridership record for the U.S. versus Australia match, drawing approximately 280,000 riders. “Friday’s record ridership shows what is possible when we invest in fast, reliable transportation options that connect people and communities,” said Snohomish County Executive Dave Somers. In a short video, CEO Dow Constantine shows us fans riding the rails to attend the match as well as visit iconic landmarks. He thanked all of the employees and partners who made the record-setting day possible. 

Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LA Metro) shared how it turned 196 buses into “rolling celebrations” for the tournament. A YouTube video shows how each 40-foot bus was wrapped in vinyl, requiring months of coordination and hundreds of hours of labor and crews working across 10 bus divisions. Before installation, crews cleaned each bus to remove dust, oil, and road grime, then measured and aligned panels to ensure the graphics landed correctly.

LA Metro Director of Marketing Kristie Crawford said, “What better way to highlight Metro as the best way to get to matches, official fan zones, and celebrations across the county than to bring the celebration to our buses.”

Photo: KC Streetcar

In a similar fashion, the Kansas City Streetcar demonstrates what it’s like to get vehicles World Cup-ready—from cleaning to maintenance to vehicle inspections. The streetcar broke its single-day ridership record.