$50 tickets, free bus rides: Mamdani makes World Cup affordable for NYC residents

Zohran Mamdani, whose promise to make New York more affordable helped propel him to the mayor’s office, is now pushing to make FIFA World Cup matches accessible to residents as well. Staying true to his socialist politics, Mamdani announced $50 World Cup tickets for residents of the city’s five boroughs -- a steep discount for an event where ticket prices are running into hundreds of dollars -- along with free round-trip bus services for every match.

Making the announcement in Harlem’s Little Senegal, considered the heart of New York’s African football community, Zohran Mamdani said the tickets would be allotted through a random draw and would cover every match at MetLife Stadium except the final.

“A World Cup is coming to our backyard, and we want to ensure working-class New Yorkers have the opportunity to be part of it,” said Mayor Mamdani. “We sat down with the Host Committee to make certain this tournament belongs to the people who make this city what it is. Today, 1,000 New Yorkers are going to get into those stands for fifty dollars and a free bus ride. I’m proud that New York City is leading the way.”

The excitement was palpable, with US football stars Tim Weah and Mark McKenzie standing alongside Mamdani during the announcement.

The programme will make 1,000 tickets available, with around 150 set aside for each of the seven matches covered under the scheme. The seats will be in the upper bowl of the 82,000-capacity MetLife Stadium.

The matches included in the programme are five group-stage fixtures: Brazil vs Morocco on June 13, France vs Senegal on June 16, Norway vs Senegal on June 22, Ecuador vs Germany on June 25, and Panama vs England on June 27. The offer also covers a Round of 32 match on June 30 and a Round of 16 match on July 5.

According to the announcement, the lottery will open on May 25 and close on May 30. The draw will allow up to 50,000 entries a day. Each winner will be able to purchase a maximum of two tickets. The tickets cannot be transferred and will be issued to successful applicants on the day of the match.

The city has described the measure as a joint effort between the mayor’s office and the NY/NJ World Cup host committee, rather than with Fifa, which controls ticketing operations and has faced criticism over its use of dynamic pricing.

The move is also described as the first instance so far of an individual host city for the 2026 World Cup creating a separate ticket-access plan for its own residents. It also mirrors the discounted tickets made available to residents of Qatar during the 2022 tournament.

The cost of attending matches in the New York and New Jersey area has become a major issue in the run-up to the tournament, with attention focused on both ticket prices and travel costs.

New Jersey Transit, which runs most bus and train services from New York City to MetLife Stadium, had first said a return train fare from Penn Station to the stadium would be $150, compared with the usual $13. That fare has since been reduced to $105 for a return trip. Bus services between New York City and the stadium are expected to cost $80 per ticket.

Fifa had earlier answered complaints over ticket costs by releasing a limited number of $60 tickets, accounting for about 1.6% of those put on sale. The governing body had originally fixed $60 as the lowest available price for any World Cup match, but dynamic pricing has pushed ticket costs into the hundreds across the tournament.

Mamdani, who has repeatedly described himself as a football fan and made affordability a central part of his mayoral campaign, had criticised Fifa last year over admission prices, saying the organisation was prioritising revenue over access to what he said should be an inclusive celebration of the sport.

At a campaign stop in September, he said, “There’s just no chance for so many who love this game so much to actually be able to go and see this. This also has a real impact on the potential for the atmosphere of the World Cup and just how many fans will actually be there. Because so often the people who get the tickets quickest are not the ones who are actually the most eager to be there. They’re the ones who are the most excited at the prospect of a profit.”

The announcement sets out a limited low-cost ticket option for New York City residents at a time when both match tickets and travel to MetLife Stadium have drawn scrutiny, with the city saying the scheme will cover seven World Cup matches and include transport as part of the $50 price.

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