Airports rated for World Cup 2026 travel from best to worst

May 21, 2026

As the 2026 FIFA World Cup nears, fans from all around are gearing up for what’s considered the pinnacle of soccer tournaments. Still, getting to the event might not be so straightforward for everyone.

Travelers flying into the New York and New Jersey areas are experiencing quite a bit of confusion, especially since new rankings have placed two regional airports among the least favorable, with one landing at the very bottom.

According to a recent survey by Doc’s Sports Service, John F. Kennedy International Airport has been named the worst airport for travelers coming to the World Cup. This assessment analyzed 25 key airports within the host regions based on data from the U.S. Department of Transportation from 2025.

Newark Liberty International Airport ranked 23rd out of these 25, while Philadelphia International Airport wasn’t far behind, just missing a spot in the bottom tier at 24th.

The study evaluated multiple factors, such as reliability, efficiency, connectivity, and costs, for airports serving major cities including New York, Los Angeles, and Miami.

With an estimated 10 million fans expected to travel to 11 host cities for the World Cup from June 11 to 19, it’s shaping up to be “one of the largest coordinated travel challenges in recent years,” as highlighted by Doc’s Sports.

JFK’s score was quite low at 16.2 out of 100. The airport’s efficiency and affordability were major drawbacks. In fact, last year, it recorded the longest average taxi-out time—28.8 minutes—from departure to takeoff among all the studied airports. Domestic fares averaged $462.

While JFK saw about 78.8% of departures and 77.3% of arrivals on time, these figures didn’t quite compensate for the negatives.

Right now, JFK is undergoing significant development, including a new terminal and road network improvements, which adds to the challenges for fans traveling during the World Cup.

Newark Liberty also faced issues that dragged down its rankings, scoring 29.4. With an on-time arrival rate of 72.8% and an average domestic fare of $449, it also had operational hurdles, including construction and issues with air traffic control.

MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, is expected to host multiple matches, including the finals. Its proximity to Newark makes that airport somewhat beneficial for fans, despite its low ranking.

LaGuardia Airport did a bit better, landing in 18th place with an overall score of 37.7. The airport’s on-time departure percentage was 77.7%, yet it had the highest cancellation rate of all studied airports, with 3% of flights being canceled.

Meanwhile, the assessment revealed that not all large or well-known airports perform the best. Ontario International Airport in Los Angeles topped the list with an overall score of 76.1, noted for its strong efficiency and reliability metrics. Although it’s not the most convenient for Inglewood, where matches will occur, it stands out for being operationally efficient.

Long Beach Airport was a close second and was highlighted as perhaps the most traveler-friendly in the area, achieving a score of 76 with a very quick average taxi-out time of 12.4 minutes.

On the other end of the spectrum, John Wayne Airport was ranked quite low at 21st, while airports serving the San Francisco Bay Area had mixed performances. San Jose Mineta International Airport was the best performer among them, landing in third place overall with a score of 65.6.

Oakland International Airport settled for seventh, with San Francisco International Airport unfortunately ending up in 20th place.