The 2026 FIFA World Cup has arrived in New Jersey. After years of planning, matches at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford kick off Saturday, June 13 as Morocco and Brazil square off at 6 p.m. The fan experience — and generating regional excitement for the global sports spectacle — are the top priorities for tournament organizers as matches begin, New York-New Jersey Host Committee CEO Alex Lasry told NorthJersey.com and the USA TODAY Network this week. “It's about the fans and we want to make sure that the fans are having an incredible experience and this is the payoff for all of the planning and everything that's going on,” Lasry said. “What I'm most excited about is to get the games going, get our fan experiences up and running and letting the fans really start to be a part of and enjoy what is going to be, I think, one of the best summers that this region's ever had.” There are dozens of community events for soccer fans across New Jersey as well as the host committee-sponsored Jersey Fan Hub festival at Sports Illustrated Stadium for people all over to experience the action. For fans who did manage to secure tickets to the stadium, Lasry said that he’s confident in the mobility plan that the host committee and transportation officials devised to move match attendees to and from MetLife Stadium. He stressed that they are considering this a “public transit event” and that fans should take NJ Transit or host committee bus shuttles and that they should plan ahead of time to know what time they are getting to the stadium and what time they are planning to leave. Tickets for those options must be purchased in advance. Train tickets are $98, and the shuttle bus is $20. There are also a few options for charter buses and some private car services to get to the stadium, but that access is much more limited. A separate ride-sharing access point near the Meadowlands Racetrack will be in place and include a walk of about a mile to get to the security access point for the stadium. Both Lasry and NJ Transit President Kris Kolluri have stressed that not only is walking illegal but it’s just plain dangerous. State police will be enforcing the laws against standing, waiting, stopping, idling and walking on highways and roadways in and around the sports complex. “To save a few bucks, people want to walk essentially a 3-mile or 4-mile walk on a highway system that is not designed to accommodate pedestrians,” Kolluri said last month. “It’s about the most unsafe thing I can think of. It is irresponsible, and frankly, you are putting the life of everybody in danger.” Lasry also noted that the fan villages in the area and American Dream will be open so there will “plenty to do after the game if you want to sit have a beer and watch the next game.” He said that while he’s responsible for coordinating the event, he’s also a fan and will be attending some of the fan experiences on both sides of the river. “This is part of why we created all the fan experiences because we only have eight matches so what can we do to keep that fun and excitement up and make sure that people are part of that energy the entire time,” he said before noting he has friends and family also expected to come to the area for the tournament. As for the halftime show planned for during the July 19 final, the first of its kind for a FIFA World Cup tournament, Lasry said that “when you're going to do an event in the U.S., you're going to get a U.S. experience. “This is about the fans and I think we've shown that it goes off great for the Super Bowl and it’s something that everyone loves to see and it’s just part of the enjoyment and the entertainment so it wouldn’t have been right to have a game in the U.S. and not give the full U.S. experience.” Katie Sobko covers the New Jersey Statehouse. Email: sobko@northjersey.com