New York City reshapes mass transit system to handle World Cup, NBA finals crowds

FIFA World Cup signage is seen at the PATH train station at the World Trade Center transportation hub in New York on May 27, 2026. The 2026 FIFA World Cup runs from June 11 to July 19. ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images/AFP

When crowds sweep through New York City and New Jersey to attend FIFA World Cup matches, they will find a bus, metro, road and train system reshaped by thousands of upgrades and adjustments.

And there's also the possibility these matches might overlap with the NBA championship series between the New York Knicks and San Antonio Spurs.

"It's not just the Knicks, it's the Knicks-plus, what a year," said New York Governor Kathy Hochul at a press conference Thursday, where she encouraged tourists to visit the city despite the crush of high-profile events. "We can handle this, we got this, this is what we do best."

The Knicks will host the Spurs at Madison Square Garden on June 8 and 10, and, if needed, will play here again on June 16. The first of eight matches at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. will be on June 13, when Brazil faces Morocco.

On Thursday, Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani laid out a complicated matrix of steps, many implemented by the Metropolitan Transit Authority, designed to help handle up to a hundred thousand extra mass transit riders on game days. "We [normally] handle 6 million riders a day, so this is something within our control," Hochul said.

The list of game- and match-day changes includes expanded bus and subway service, as well as lane closures aimed at creating travel corridors that allow buses and emergency vehicles to run more smoothly. There will also be bans on construction and deliveries in some areas of the city to keep traffic flowing.