&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "'For who cannot afford to go,' mayor Mamdani announces 1000 FIFA World Cup tickets at $50 for New Yorkers")
New York mayor Zohran Mamdani has a gift for the residents of NYC. Mamdani is making 1,000 tickets available at a reduced cost of $50 for five group-stage games and two knockout games to be staged at MetLife stadium during the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026. The tournament starts Jun 11 and is being co-hosted by the USA, Mexico, and Canada. The tickets will be awarded via a lottery system for which the residents would have to sign up online. The decision by Mamdani comes amid increased price of the FIFA tournament which has been using dynamic pricing to decide the ticket price. The winners will also be offered free bus rides from to and from the stadium as well.
Mamdani announces reduced price tickets for NY residents
"As we prepare to host the World Cup right outside of New York City, we know that ticket prices for this tournament have soared into the thousands of dollars. There are countless New Yorkers desperate to attend a World Cup match, but who simply cannot afford to go," Mamdani announced at a press conference on Thursday (May 21).
"We know that there are so many New Yorkers who thought that there was no way they could afford to go to this tournament and now there is that glimpse of an opportunity."
How does the lottery system works?
The residents will have to sign up online to be eligible for the tickets and then a lottery system will decide the winners. The sign up has been capped to 50,000 people per day for the campaign which runs from May 25 to May 30. A ticket winner will also be eligible to buy an extra ticket as well.
"This is just a question of if you sign up, and then it’s just a question of crossing your fingers," Mamdani added.
The MetLife Stadium will also host the World Cup 2026 final, but the tickets will not be available for it during the lottery system.
