The 2026 FIFA World Cup is officially generating record-setting ridership numbers for public transport across North America, with agencies reporting massive increases in use during one of the world’s largest sporting events.
In Washington, approximately 210,000 passengers boarded Sound Transit’s Link light rail to Seattle Stadium on 15 June for the Egypt vs. Belgium match, with the day ranking as the third-highest for ridership in Link history, just behind the recent Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl parade and the opening of the Crosslake Connection.
In order to meet demand; Sound Transit has committed to the deployment of a record number of light rail vehicles, as well as ambassadors and dedicated security personnel.
In Vancouver, preliminary data from TransLink shows that over 1.03 million passengers travelled on the line on 13 June for the Australia vs. Turkey match at BC Place, mmarking the busiest Saturday ridership for a BC Place Stadium event since the 2010 Winter Olympics.
When compared to a typical day; this particular match day saw the SkyTrain carry 447,000 boardings, an increase of 25%; whilst SeaBus carried 24,500 boardings, an increase of 37%, and bus boardings rose by nearly 7% to 558,000.
In the San Francisco Bay Area; operators saw record-breaking ridership through a coordinated network of VTA, BART, Caltrain, Altamont Corridor Express, and Capitol Corridor, with agencies carrying more than 37,000 passengers combined both to and from the opening match at San Francisco Bay Area Stadium on 13 June.
