Mamdani Announces $50 World Cup Tickets for New Yorkers

By Tahani Elghazaly
Published May 23, 2026

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New York City Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani has announced a limited program offering 1,000 discounted tickets to FIFA World Cup 2026 matches for New York City residents at $50 per seat, including free round-trip bus transportation to MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

The City of New York said the initiative, launched in partnership with the NYNJ Host Committee, is designed to make the tournament more accessible to working New Yorkers at a time when World Cup ticket prices have become a major concern for fans.

The tickets will cover five group-stage matches and two knockout-round matches, with about 150 tickets allocated per game. The program does not include the final.

The lottery opens Monday, May 25, at 10 a.m. and closes Saturday, May 30, at midnight. New York City residents aged 15 and over may enter once per day. Winners will be notified on Wednesday, June 3, and may purchase up to two tickets each.

To prevent resale and scalping, the tickets will be non-transferable and handed directly to winners at the official bus boarding location on match day.

The initiative comes amid rising concern over the cost of attending World Cup matches. Reuters reported that the average “get-in” price for a group-stage match in New York was about $864, while some resale tickets were listed for thousands of dollars and premium seats for the final approached $33,000.