World Cup gives North American transit a chance to shine - or be booed

June 3 : The 2026 World Cup is soccer's biggest stage, and for some of North America's rail and bus operators it will be a critical audition.

With airfares and gasoline prices rising, airport security lines stretching to infuriating lengths, and 104 World Cup matches in 16 cities spread across four time zones in the United States, Mexico and Canada, some ground transportation companies say they are warming up to win the hearts of a new audience.

"We want you to be able to use our system seamlessly from the minute you decide to come to the World Cup, all the way into the games, and after that to get home," said Conan Cheung, chief operations officer for LA Metro, the public transportation authority that serves the Los Angeles region.

The event is a chance to show foreign visitors that the Californian city - which will host eight matches, including the U.S. opener - is more than congested freeways. But it is also a way to pull more native Angelenos onto its growing public transport system, Cheung said.

That's something public transport advocates have long called for in the U.S. and Canada, where shared transit infrastructure can be sparse and locals reluctant to leave behind their cars.

"Transit providers have an opportunity to provide service to a group of people who do not typically use transit on a day-to-day basis," said Yonah Freemark, a principal research associate at the Washington-based Urban Institute. "Many of the World Cup fans coming from the U.S. or Canada do not necessarily use transit services regularly."

That means the stakes are high for companies to ensure a positive experience for riders, said Freemark.

"They should be making sure that the services they provide are high quality and not too expensive, because