Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced on Thursday that 1,000 tickets priced at $50 will be available for the city’s residents, who number over 8 million, for the world’s most viewed sporting event.
“To put this into perspective, that’s the equivalent of five lattes in New York City,” Mamdani joked from a bar in Harlem’s Little Senegal neighborhood alongside U.S. men’s national team forward Timothy Weah.
Approximately 150 tickets per game will be offered for seven of the eight matches held at the nearly 82,000-seat MetLife Stadium, situated just across the river from Manhattan in New Jersey. The only exception is the July 19 final, which has generated high demand, with some seats now priced at nearly $33,000.
The tickets will also cover free roundtrip bus transportation to the stadium for the ticket holders, according to the mayor. They will be distributed through a lottery beginning on May 25.
To combat scalping, Mamdani stated that the city would implement measures to ensure that tickets are only distributed to NYC residents and are not resold on the secondary market.
He emphasized that the tickets will be non-transferable and that “a variety of methods” will be used to verify residency. Tickets will be handed directly to fans as they board the bus on game day.
“We are ensuring that working people will not be priced out of the game that they helped to create,” Mamdani mentioned.
The Democrat, who assumed office in January, noted that this initiative highlights how his administration aims not only to address everyday costs like housing and groceries.
“It extends to enabling every New Yorker to participate in the experiences that enrich our humanity,” he stated.
During his campaign, Mamdani urged FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, to make attending the games more affordable for New Yorkers by allocating 15% of tickets at discounted rates for local residents. He also initiated a petition requesting FIFA to reconsider its strategy of setting ticket prices based on demand.
The $50 tickets are not sourced directly from FIFA but are part of those designated to the joint host committee representing New York and New Jersey for the games, according to the mayor’s office.
Previously, FIFA had provided some $60 tickets for every game in the North American tournament after facing criticism over the high ticket prices.
However, those reduced-price tickets were allocated to the national federations of the participating teams, which decided how to distribute them to dedicated fans who have attended matches both at home and away.
Apart from the championship match, the home stadium for the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets will host five group World Cup matches and two knockout stage games. Group stage matches featuring soccer powerhouses such as Brazil, France, Germany, and England will commence on June 13.
