SEPTA is adding overnight service and free rides World Cup matches at The Linc

The World Cup is coming to Philadelphia next month and SEPTA just announced the transit plan for the six matches being held at Lincoln Financial Field between June 14th and July 4th.

Overnight service on the Broad Street and Market-Frankford lines. Free rides home from the sports complex starting at halftime. Fares staying at the current $2.90 rate while other host cities are jacking up their prices. An estimated 31,000 people expected to use public transit for each match.

SEPTA announces extended service to both South Philly and Lemon Hill during the World Cup this Summer, INCLUDING overnight service on the B and L trains on match days and free rides home from each match, courtesy of Airbnb!!! Big win! https://t.co/9k5YWqhf1Z

— Jimmy King (@Jimmyking35) May 18, 2026

Say what you want about SEPTA on a normal Tuesday, but they’re actually handling this the right way.

World Cup Philly Schedule

Six World Cup matches at the Linc this summer:

• Sunday, June 14 at 7 p.m.: Côte d’Ivoire vs. Ecuador
• Friday, June 19 at 8:30 p.m.: Brazil vs. Haiti
• Monday, June 22 at 5 p.m.: France vs. Iraq
• Thursday, June 25 at 4 p.m.: Côte d’Ivoire vs. Curaçao
• Saturday, June 27 at 5 p.m.: Croatia vs. Ghana
• Saturday, July 4 at 5 p.m.: Round of 16

Brazil. France. Croatia. A Round of 16 knockout game on the Fourth of July. That’s a legitimate slate of matches for this city and the July 4th game in particular is going to be something special. A World Cup knockout round match at the Linc on Independence Day in the city where independence was declared 250 years ago. You couldn’t script it better than that.

SEPTA Transit Details

The Broad Street Line will be able to move roughly 15,000 people per hour with the additional capacity. Overnight service will run every 30 minutes starting at 12:30 a.m. to select stations on both the Broad Street Line and Market-Frankford Line.

Ten Broad Street Line stations will have overnight service including Fern Rock, Olney, Erie, Broad-Girard, Spring Garden, Race-Vine, City Hall, Walnut-Locust, Oregon, and NRG Station. Eight Market-Frankford stations will be open overnight including Frankford Transit Center, Front-Girard, 2nd Street, 8th-Market, City Hall, 30th Street, 40th Street, and 69th Street.

The free rides home from the sports complex are the best part. Starting at halftime and continuing for two hours after each match, SEPTA is offering free service home. That’s a major move. You’re telling international visitors and local fans that they can take public transit to the World Cup for free on the way back.

Other host cities are reportedly gouging fans on transit fares during the tournament. SEPTA is keeping the price at $2.90 and giving you the ride home for nothing.

The Fan Festival at Lemon Hill

There’s a 39-day FIFA Fan Festival at Lemon Hill in East Fairmount Park. Buses on routes 32 and 48 will run every 15 minutes or less on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. during the festival. Local trolley routes will be served entirely by buses for the duration so SEPTA can quickly adapt to road closures.

No parking at Lemon Hill or the surrounding neighborhoods. The Philadelphia Parking Authority is requiring residents in Fairmount, Spring Garden, and Brewerytown to apply for residential parking permits for the duration of the World Cup. Festivalgoers are being told to use SEPTA or rideshare. If you’re planning to drive to Lemon Hill and park on a random street in Fairmount, it’s not happening.

This Summer Is Going to Be Insane

Philadelphia is expecting over one million visitors this summer for the World Cup, the MLB All-Star Game, and America250 events celebrating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. All of it happening in the same city during the same stretch of weeks. The World Cup starts June 14th. The All-Star Game is in July. The anniversary celebrations run throughout the summer.

SEPTA’s estimated cost for additional transit police and overtime is $21.5 million. The Federal Transit Administration awarded $5.5 million in March as part of a program supporting the 11 World Cup host cities. SEPTA says that funding will cover a “vast majority” of the costs.

SEPTA’s General Manager said the city’s multimodal transit network was a key factor in Philadelphia being selected as a host city. Whether the Broad Street Line holds up under the pressure of 31,000 soccer fans trying to get home after a Brazil match at 11 p.m. on a Friday night remains to be seen. But the plan is solid. The overnight service is smart. The free rides are a great touch. And keeping fares at $2.90 while other cities gouge fans is exactly the kind of move that makes people feel good about using public transit.

World Cup at the Linc. Fan Festival at Lemon Hill. All-Star Game. America250. This summer in Philadelphia is going to be one for the history books.

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