Over 700 free World Cup tickets will be available for NJ residents

New Jersey residents will get access to some free tickets to the FIFA World Cup matches set to take place in East Rutherford after all.

Gov. Mikie Sherrill is expected to announce later this morning that more than 750 free tickets will be made available for communities in the Garden State.

The announcement is part of the ongoing collaboration between the state and the regional host committee as well as outside partners like Uber, Hackensack Meridian Health and Choose New Jersey to make sure residents have a chance to enjoy the biggest sporting event in the world right in their backyard.

“We are excited to welcome the world to the Garden State for the World Cup starting this week and to be at the very center of the festivities, but we want the experience, first and foremost, to be accessible and affordable for as many New Jerseyans as possible,” Sherrill said in a statement. “I’d like to thank the Host Committee, Uber, and Hackensack Meridian Health for providing over 750 free tickets to New Jerseyans who deserve a once-in-a-lifetime chance to attend these matches. I will always fight to ensure that no New Jerseyan is left behind.” 

There will be 770 tickets available across seven matches set to be played at MetLife Stadium beginning this week. There will be no free tickets available for the final.

The tickets were secured by the host committee and will be distributed to community groups via Choose New Jersey.

A partnership between the governor’s office, the host committee, Uber and Choose New Jersey has made 500 tickets available for people from:

•            New Jersey Youth Soccer players from underserved communities across the state;

•            Families of New Jersey National Guard service members currently deployed overseas;

•            Hackensack Meridian Health patients currently in the Make-A-Wish program; and

•            Bergen County first responders helping support World Cup operations.

Amy Herbold, president and CEO of Choose New Jersey, called it an honor to “partner with the Governor, the NYNJ Host Committee, and Uber to help distribute 500 free tickets to community groups throughout our state.”

“These efforts will give New Jersey fans a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to attend a match and take in all the World Cup has to offer,” she said.

 Another 200 tickets will be made available through a partnership between the Governor’s Office, the host committee and Hackensack Meridian Health for:

•            Frontline nurses and health care team members who serve New Jersey communities every day; and

•            Pediatric patients, including children facing serious illnesses and their families.

The last 70 tickets will be part of the Welcome World Rewards program for anyone using that online program to support local businesses and attend community initiative events.

There will be measures taken to prevent scalping and ensure the tickets are nontransferable and distributed directly to the individuals who will attend the matches.

This comes after the host committee helped support transportation costs by giving the state $3.6 million.

Host committee CEO Alex Lasry said in a statement that he’d like to thank Sherrill for “her leadership in ensuring that hundreds of New Jersey residents have the incredible opportunity to take part in this once-in-generation moment.”

Lasry made headlines last month when he joined New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani to announce a lottery where city residents would be eligible to buy tickets for only $50 apiece.

The New York New Jersey host committee — which has received $50 million from the state of New Jersey, according to records compiled by NorthJersey.com — paid for the full cost of the tickets and gave them to New York City in a deal negotiated by Mayor Zohran Mamdani, said a May 21 announcement.

Mamdani reportedly received the blessing of FIFA President President Gianni Infantino to provide 1,000 World Cup tickets exclusively to New York City residents. The $50 ticket fee includes a free round-trip bus to the stadium in East Rutherford, temporarily renamed New York New Jersey Stadium due to a FIFA rule prohibiting venues with corporate-sponsored names and logos.

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Free World Cup tickets for MetLife Stadium available to NJ residents