Jason Burgos
In a continued effort to make life in New York City affordable, Mayor Zohran Mamdani has given residents a chance to see World Cup games for a realistic price.
We are just under a month away from the 2026 edition of the World Cup. The event that goes down every four years is like the Super Bowl on steroids because soccer is the most popular sport on Earth. And this year, the tournament is so big that matches will be spread across North America (the United States, Canada, and Mexico).
Yet, that isn’t the only thing about this year’s World Cup that is big. Just a few weeks before it begins on June 11, tickets for games are going for outrageous prices. For matches taking place in various US cities like Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Kansas City, average ticket prices range from $380 to $4,105.
Furthermore, some premium seats for certain games are going for as high as $2 million on third-party reselling platforms. And FIFA president Gianni Infantino has no intention of trying to make them more affordable for American soccer fans. Well, one person who is looking out for futbol fans is New York City’s 34-year-old mayor.
Zohran Mamdani gets New Yorkers $50 World Cup tickets
On Thursday, Mamdani revealed in a clever social media post that he has created a lottery that will offer 1,000 New Yorkers the chance to buy World Cup tickets for games at MetLife Stadium for only $50. New Yorkers who are 15 and older can enter starting May 25, and winners will be notified on June 3. They will then have 48 hours to purchase as many as two tickets.
The tickets are also non-transferable for shady New Yorkers who might try to take advantage of the opportunity to get World Cup tickets for cheap and resell them for hundreds or thousands elsewhere.
Mamdani has made headlines for good reasons in recent weeks. Earlier this month, he finalized legislation and agreements that are expected to take a massive cut out of the city’s $12 billion deficit. And this week, he announced plans to open the first city-owned affordable grocery store in the Bronx.
