Some lucky New York City residents will soon have the opportunity to purchase affordable tickets to this summer's highly expensive World Cup. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Thursday that 1,000 tickets priced at $50 each will be made available to residents of the city, which has a population of over 8 million, for the world's most-watched sporting event.
Affordable Access for New Yorkers
“To put that into perspective, that is five lattes in New York City,” Mamdani remarked from a bar in Harlem's Little Senegal neighborhood, joined by U.S. men's national team star Timothy Weah. The tickets will be valid for seven of the eight matches scheduled at the approximately 82,000-seat MetLife Stadium, located across the Hudson River in New Jersey. The only exception is the highly anticipated final on July 19, where some seats currently cost nearly $33,000.
The mayor also confirmed that the ticket package includes complimentary round-trip bus transportation to the stadium for holders. The tickets will be distributed through a lottery beginning May 25.
Ensuring Fair Distribution
Amid ongoing concerns about exorbitant ticket prices for the World Cup, Mamdani stated that the city will implement measures to ensure the tickets reach New York City residents and are not resold on the secondary market. The tickets will be non-transferable, and city officials will use a “variety of ways” to verify residency. They will be handed out directly to fans as they board the bus on game day.
“We are making sure that working people will not be priced out of the game that they helped to create,” Mamdani said.
Broader Affordability Efforts
The Democrat, who assumed office in January, emphasized that this initiative reflects his administration's commitment to making everyday essentials like housing and groceries more affordable, as well as enabling New Yorkers to participate in cultural events. “It extends to making it possible for every New Yorker to take part in the things that make us human,” he added.
During his campaign, Mamdani had urged FIFA, soccer's global governing body, to set aside 15% of tickets at discounted prices for residents and launched a petition against FIFA's demand-based pricing strategy.
Ticket Source and FIFA's Role
The $50 tickets do not come directly from FIFA but from the allocation provided to the joint host committee of New York and New Jersey, according to the mayor's office. Previously, FIFA had offered some $60 tickets for every tournament game in North America after facing backlash over high prices. Those tickets, however, went to national federations of participating teams, which decided how to distribute them to loyal fans.
In addition to the championship game, MetLife Stadium, home to the NFL's New York Giants and New York Jets, will host five group stage matches and two knockout stage games. Group stage matches for soccer powerhouses including Brazil, France, Germany, and England, among others, begin on June 13.
