Let the record show there are, indeed, perks to having a soccer-obsessed mayor beyond getting to see and hear them riff on their favorite, and most disappointing, Arsenal moments. According to City Hall, they include a willingness to hit the pitch and duke it out with top brass at FIFA to ensure working-class New Yorkers get an opportunity to see the World Cup, live and direct, when it lands in their backyard this summer.
On Thursday, May 21, Mayor Mamdani announced his administration had successfully locked in $50 tickets for 1,000 New York residents, who will soon get a chance to enter a lottery to pay what is absolutely the cheapest price you’ll see anywhere for comparable Category 3 seats at any one of seven games—five in the group stage, one in the round of 32, and another in the round of 16—held at MetLife Stadium over the summer. The raffle will open on Monday, May 25, at 10 a.m., allowing for up to 50,000 entries per day, until winners are randomly selected and informed via email on Wednesday, June 3. Each person can enter once per day (or a max of six times throughout the registry process), and anyone above the age of 15 is eligible. Should your name be drawn, you’ll have 48 hours to purchase up to two non-transferable tickets (sorry, scalpers) at the heavily discounted rate. And, as an added bonus, transportation to and from the stadium will also be provided.
The raffle is but the latest city-wide initiative Mamdani’s team has built around the tournament, which begins on June 11 and will be played in 16 cities across North America, including Mexico City, Toronto, Los Angeles, Seattle, Boston, Atlanta, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and more. But all roads lead back to MetLife, where the World Cup final will take place on Sunday, July 19. If fortune isn’t on your side, each borough will also have designated “fan zones,” where watch parties and events will be held throughout the run of games.
Check out the full World Cup schedule today and head over to the lottery’s site for the official rules.
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