New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced an initiative to provide a limited number of affordable tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2026, with the tickets also including round-trip bus transportation at no additional cost.
Below, we break down everything you need to know.
Zohran Mamdani announces affordable World Cup tickets for New Yorkers
Thursday (May 21), Mamdani announced that the City of New York, working in partnership with the NYNJ Host Committee, had secured 1,000 affordable tickets for the FIFA World Cup 2026 for New Yorkers. When making the announcement, Mamdani connected the initiative to his administration‘s desire to make certain that working-class residents wouldn’t be shut out of the event.
“When talking about a World Cup that’s only 21 days away, it feels only right that we stand here today in Little Senegal,” Mamdani added at Thursday’s press conference. “We know that, if any of the teams are coming to this World Cup with a point to prove from the African continent, we know that the Lions of Teranga are right there up there.”
How much are affordable World Cup tickets?
The tickets cost $50 and include a free bus ride to and from MetLife Stadium. Included in the program are five group stage matches, plus two knockout round matches. Per press notes, roughly 150 tickets will be allocated for each game.
How can you buy affordable World Cup tickets?
Entry is set to open at this link starting May 25 at 10 a.m., with prospective ticket buyers having until May 30 at midnight to enter. As for entry rules, New Yorkers aged 15 and older are allowed a single entry per day. Winners, chosen at random, will be notified on June 3, at which point they’ll have the opportunity to buy no more than two tickets.
