Amtrak is encouraging passengers to book their train travel early, ahead of summer 2026, as it’s anticipating record demand from passengers wishing to travel to more than 100 FIFA World Cup matches across North America.
Demand For World Cup Train Travel
The national passenger railroad company said in a public statement that it expects the summer of 2026 to be one of the busiest travel periods in its 55‑year history.
Amtrak has forecast that some of the increased demand is likely to be driven by people travelling by train to attend FIFA World Cup matches, which—according to FIFA—are being held in cities in the following 11 U.S. locations: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, and San Francisco from June 2026.
There will also be matches in Mexico and Canada.
Amtrak is planning to serve nearly every U.S. World Cup host city with daily trains, as well as Toronto and Vancouver, with Roger Harris, Amtrak President, said: “Amtrak is excited to welcome soccer fans from North America and across the globe as they cheer on their home nation teams and travel between cities for matches.”
What Is Amtrak Doing For World Cup Travel
Internally, Amtrak is preparing additional operational measures for major game days at the bigger locations.
These include deploying extra maintenance staff, introducing “Amtrak Ambassadors”—which are management employees trained to help and support customers and frontline staff during busy periods—increasing Amtrak police patrols, and staging standby rescue locomotives in case of breakdowns.
It’s also collaborating with multiple partners—including the U.S. Department of Transportation, the White House Task Force on the FIFA World Cup 2026, the Northeast Corridor Commission World Cup Working Group, and all 11 American host cities—to support the millions of people expected to travel during these events, and make sure that its services and the transition of match-goers to and from games runs smoothly.
Harris said the company will run more than 300 daily trains in its network during this time, because “Amtrak is prepared to play a key role in delivering safe and reliable intercity travel this summer.”
In the run-up to the World Cup, Amtrak said it would make targeted investments on the Northeast Corridor to strengthen rail infrastructure and minimize maintenance outages during the busy summer period—an effort to provide an uninterrupted service.
It will also continue the rollout of NextGen Acela trains on select departures, which would add extra seating capacity and provide First and Business Class amenities on the railroad’s high-speed service.
U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy said: “The 2026 FIFA World Cup is an opportunity to showcase American ingenuity, including how our transportation infrastructure moves and builds our cities. This summer, rail will help thousands of fans from around the world reach stadiums across America. To see America is to love America.”
What Should World Cup Train Travelers Do?
Amtrak is advising customers to reserve seats as soon as possible, especially on popular routes, and to take advantage of the extra capacity provided by the high-speed NextGen Acela train services on select departures.
