Zohran Mamdani announces $50 World Cup ticket lottery for New York City residents
The Guardian • • sports
Key Points:
- New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a new allocation of 1,000 World Cup 2026 tickets priced at $50 each for residents of the city's five boroughs, available via a random lottery for games at MetLife Stadium excluding the final.
- The tickets cover seven matches, including five group stage games and two knockout rounds, and include bus transportation to and from the stadium, with seating in the upper bowl of the 82,000-capacity venue.
- The lottery opens on May 25 and closes on May 30, allowing up to 50,000 daily entries, with winners able to purchase up to two non-transferable tickets, which will be distributed on game days.
- This initiative is a collaboration between the mayor’s office and the NY/NJ World Cup host committee, independent of FIFA, which controls ticket sales and has faced criticism for high prices and dynamic pricing models.
- Ticket and transportation costs have been contentious, with standard transit fares drastically increased for the event and FIFA criticized for prioritizing revenue over accessibility, prompting Mamdani to champion affordable access as part of his mayoral platform.