PROVIDENCE — Heading to World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium from Rhode Island this summer?
Good luck getting there.
With the tournament just seven weeks away, transportation options for fans traveling from the Ocean State to Foxborough are proving pricey and limited, raising concerns that visitors and locals alike could face unnecessarily long travel times and steep costs to attend matches.
“It seems that at every turn, the organizational powers that be, have made decisions that seem hellbent on alienating fans,” said Providence resident Tucker Wentz.
Though the MBTA has previously run $20 commuter-rail round trips between Providence and Gillette for Patriots games and major concerts — like Taylor Swift’s 2023 Eras tour — the T said it won’t operate direct service from Rhode Island for the largest tournament in World Cup history.
To get to Gillette by train, fans who have already spent hundreds of dollars on soccer tickets will have to catch the commuter rail from Providence, travel 45 miles north to Boston’s South Station and then shell out $80 per seat to travel 27 miles back south to Foxborough. Capacity is limited to 20,000 customers per match.
The upshot: Riders from Providence could be commuting on trains for well over two hours each way for a trip that could be done in roughly half the time.
The other main option is a $95-per-seat bus ride, dubbed the Boston Stadium Express, in what is expected to be bumper-to-bumper traffic between Providence and the stadium.
Neither rail nor bus will offer discounted fares for children, seniors, or passengers with accessibility needs.
If that’s enough to make driving sound tempting, think again. There’s little chance of parking close to the stadium, and no chance it’s affordable.
“The feeling of a vacuum in my pocket, combined with the political absurdity around the event, has really taken a lot of the excitement out of something that I had looked forward to for years,” said Pawtucket resident Rob McCracken. He estimates that for two tickets for seats in the less expensive upper levels of the stadium and bus fare for him and his wife, he’ll spend a total of $800 just to attend one game.
Alexander Buxton, a Providence resident, said the people making transportation decisions for the World Cup “just don’t grasp how big the World Cup actually is globally.”
Providence and Boston are about to be swarmed with international visitors, he said. It’s an opportunity.
“It should be a moment to create a proper welcome, support local businesses, and actually show the city off,” Buxton said. “Instead, there’s no basic infrastructure to even get people to the stadium easily.”
When Wentz moved to Providence two years ago, the prospect of being so close to a stadium hosting World Cup matches was exciting. He assumed he’d take the train, just as he does for Patriots games. But that’s not an option.
“I can’t help but feel like we are being poor hosts with the world watching,” said Wentz, calling the situation “embarrassing.” For previous World Cup tournaments, other countries offered game tickets for under $100 and free transit to matches. “Why can’t we?” he asked.
FIFA, soccer’s international governing body, is using dynamic pricing, causing ticket prices to vary based on demand. They have ranged from $70 each to well over $1,000. In the case of the highly anticipated Norway-France game on June 26 at Gillette, remaining tickets range from $1,300 to more than $6,000 each.
MBTA spokeswoman Lisa Battiston said in a statement that T officials are “confident” the commuter rail will be “one of the easiest” and “most affordable ways” to get to and from Gillette.
The MBTA explored providing rail service between Foxborough and Providence for the World Cup, she said, but officials determined service from Providence “was not operationally feasible for a few important reasons, including the single-track at Foxboro Station and safety and security challenges at Providence Station.”
“The MBTA kept Rhode Island leadership informed of this review and the final decision every step of the way,” she added.
Battiston said the MBTA plans to run “an unprecedented amount of service” during the tournament, delivering 20,000 riders on 14 trains for each of the seven matches.
“This far exceeds the 3,000 riders for the friendly match [last month] and about 2,000 riders for a typical Patriots game,” Battiston said.
In August 2025, the MBTA started a $35 million improvement project for the Foxboro train station so that it would be ready for World Cup events this June. The project remains ongoing.
“Running south-to-north service is like the biggest no-brainer,” said Ed Giardina, a “big soccer fan” in Providence.
Some in Rhode Island — a state desperate for a piece of the World Cup action — said it feels like Massachusetts, home to a World Cup host city, has scored the winning goal.
“If you are staying in a $1,000-a-night room in [Boston’s] Seaport, you’ll have a train,” said Ellias Karwashan, of East Providence. “But in Providence? You’re on your own.”
“Basic regional access for a global event is apparently too much to ask for,” Karwashan added.
Rhode Island State Treasurer James Diossa, chairman of Ocean State 2026, a nonprofit created by Governor Dan McKee last year to help the state prepare for the World Cup, told the Globe that he was initially “very shocked that there would be no [train] accommodations for Providence.”
In an interview this month, Diossa acknowledged that other host countries had made transportation to matches “much more accessible.”
“I can say sincerely that we pushed, we pushed,” said Diossa, who said it was his understanding that the Boston Stadium Express buses will have a dedicated lane to speed travel.
But MassDOT spokesman Marshall Hook said the agency “is not right now planning on any dedicated bus lanes.”
Given the lack of easy transportation, Rhode Island State Representative Joshua Giraldo said it’s clear that some state leaders “are underestimating how big of an opportunity this is.”
“I think we’re missing out,” he said.
Providence is set to serve as an official base camp for up to 10,000 members of the Tartan Army, as supporters of Scotland’s national team are known. Haiti vs. Scotland, Gillette’s first match, kicks off June 13 at 9 p.m. A Boston Stadium Express bus is scheduled to pick visitors up at the Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence at 6 p.m.
But three hours may not be enough to get to Foxborough on time.
“We have been advised to leave five hours before the match starts,” said Scott Gillian, a member of a committee that supports the Tartan Army.
“It’s crazy” there aren’t trains, said Gillian.
He helped organize 21 dedicated buses for the Tartan Army, with a portion of each $35 bus ticket being donated to Hasbro Children’s Hospital in Providence. But there’s still a steep cost: FIFA is asking roughly $24,000 to park the buses during the two Scottish matches, he said.
It has all “been a total money grab,” said Gillian.
Alexa Gagosz can be reached at alexa.gagosz@globe.com. Follow her @alexagagosz and on Instagram @AlexaGagosz.