Budget committee Republicans penned a letter to their Democratic counterparts Thursday, asking for a joint hearing on this summer’s impending World Cup matches.
Legislative Republicans from both chambers of the statehouse asked Senate Budget Chairman Paul Sarlo (D-Wood-Ridge) and Assembly Budget Chairwoman Eliana Pintor Marin (D-Newark) to call a joint committee hearing with a board member of the NYNJ FIFA 2026 Host Committee in the coming weeks. The request comes during crunch time for World Cup preparations — the legislators wrote that logistical and budget plans for the World Cup remain unclear.
The Republicans said they want to ask a FIFA Host Committee official about the specific financial obligations New Jersey has agreed to cover; the extent to which New Jerseyans are subsidizing the costs of hosting World Cup matches; whether the state faces financial risk in hosting the matches; and whether there are protections against cost overruns.
“Given that New Jersey has been preparing for this event for more than three years, and was awarded matches more than two years ago, it is troubling that such fundamental questions remain unresolved,” the letter reads. “The apparent disconnect between planning, public cost and execution demands immediate legislative oversight.”
The letter questions NJ Transit’s decision to bump up ticket prices for transit to this summer’s matches. The state is setting round-trip prices to MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford on match days at $150. Gov. Mikie Sherrill said the price increase will prevent FIFA — which is not covering any of the transportation costs — from offloading the burden to New Jersey’s commuters and taxpayers.
In the letter, the Republicans pointed to comments from Attorney General Jennifer Davenport in which she said New Jersey possessed enough funding to operate security for the World Cup; they questioned whether there was a discrepancy between Davenport’s statement and the need to raise prices. The hearing, they argued, is needed to assess whether they should take action before the World Cup.
“With New Jersey set to host one of the largest sporting events in the world, it is imperative that the Legislature and the public have a clear and complete understanding of the commitments made on behalf of taxpayers,” they wrote. “While the event presents an opportunity to showcase our state, it also raises significant and unanswered questions about costs, risks and transparency.”
State Sen. Declan O’Scanlon (R-Little Silver) and Assemblyman Brian Rumpf (R-Little Egg Harbor), the GOP budget officers, led the letter.
Sarlo, Pintor Marin, and a spokesperson for the FIFA Host Committee were not immediately available for comment.