Street Closures Planned For NYC World Cup

New York City will rework Midtown traffic on each of the eight local 2026 World Cup match days, routing buses and stadium shuttles through dedicated corridors and urging people to avoid driving into Manhattan. Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani announced the plan on May 29, saying the city would declare every match day a Gridlock Alert Day and coordinate with the Metropolitan Transportation Authority, NJ TRANSIT, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and the NYNJ Host Committee. The restrictions are tied to the eight matches scheduled at the New York-New Jersey stadium in East Rutherford, including the July 19 final. City officials said the goal is to move ticket holders to and from matches while limiting spillover on regular city traffic. ### Which streets are changing on match days? 42nd Street will become a bus-only corridor from First Avenue to Twelfth Avenue on match days, according to the New York City Department of Transportation. The city will also dedicate the two easternmost lanes of Sixth Avenue from 42nd Street to 59th Street to buses and use the existing bus lanes on Fifth Avenue from 42nd Street to 59th Street for match-day operations. (nyc.gov) West 40th Street between Eighth Avenue and 11th Avenue, and West 41st Street between Eighth Avenue and 10th Avenue, will also be converted into bus-only blocks, the DOT said. Access on those routes will be limited to NYNJ Stadium shuttle buses, MTA local buses, official World Cup affiliate vehicles and emergency vehicles. ### Who is allowed in those bus corridors? (nyc.gov) Official NYNJ Stadium shuttle buses will run nonstop between Manhattan and the stadium in New Jersey through the Lincoln Tunnel, the DOT said. The shuttle system will pick up and drop off passengers at three Manhattan locations: the Port Authority Bus Terminal, Midtown North at Columbus Circle and Midtown East near Grand Central. (nyc.gov) The mayor’s office said the dedicated corridors are meant to concentrate World Cup-related transportation on specific streets rather than spread it across Midtown. “Our streets will work for everyone,” Mamdani said in the May 29 announcement, while DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn said New Yorkers should “avoid driving into Manhattan” and use mass transit during the tournament. (nyc.gov) ### What happens to trucks and regular drivers? Each of the eight match days will be treated as a Gridlock Alert Day, a designation the DOT uses for the city’s busiest traffic periods. The mayor’s office said the administration will work with local businesses to limit truck deliveries in Midtown during and around the matches, though the city’s public guidance does not set out a blanket truck ban across all of Manhattan. (nyc.gov) NYC DOT said severe congestion is expected in Midtown Manhattan, with broader effects across surrounding areas. The agency said it will monitor traffic and make real-time signal adjustments, while advising people to walk, bike or take public transportation whenever possible. ### Which dates will be affected? Eight dates are covered by the city’s World Cup traffic plan: June 13, June 16, June 22, June 25, June 27, June 30, July 5 and July 19. (nyc.gov) Those are the same eight dates listed by the NYNJ host committee for matches at the regional stadium, beginning with Brazil versus Morocco on June 13 and ending with the final on July 19. (nyc.gov) The June 30 and July 5 matches are knockout-round games, and the July 19 match is the FIFA World Cup 2026 final, according to the host committee schedule. That schedule links the city’s Midtown restrictions directly to the stadium calendar rather than to broader tournament dates. ### Where can New Yorkers check the latest details? NYC DOT has posted match-day travel guidance and corridor details on its World Cup information page, including the list of affected streets and shuttle pickup zones. (nyc.gov) The agency’s Gridlock Alert page also lists all eight match dates and directs drivers and commuters to the city’s World Cup travel information. (nynjfwc26.com) Saturday, June 13 is the first day the plan will be tested, when Brazil and Morocco are scheduled to play at 6 p.m. Eastern time at the New York-New Jersey stadium. City officials said the same Midtown framework will return on the seven later match days, including the final on July 19. (nyc.gov)