All New York boroughs to host free World Cup fan events, Mamdani says

New York City will hold a series of free events for football fans who hope to experience the excitement of the World Cup but cannot afford the hefty ticket prices to the matches, Mayor Zohran Mamdani said in an announcement.

Mamdani, a noted football devotee, announced the free events alongside New York Governor Kathy Hochul on Monday.

“Every fan should be able to watch the greatest tournament on earth without dipping into their savings,” Mamdani said.

The events – one in each of the city’s five boroughs – will include watch parties for the matches and other festivities. They will be staged at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn, a shopping centre near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx, and a minor league baseball stadium in Staten Island.

A separate fan event planned for Sports Illustrated Stadium in Harrison, New Jersey, where the New York Red Bulls play, will cost $10.

World Cup matches will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Fans trying to get to MetLife Stadium from New York City can expect to shell out $150 for a round-trip train fare for each match, transport officials said earlier this month.

That’s nearly 12 times the regular $12.90 fare for the roughly 15-minute, 14km (9-mile) ride from Manhattan’s Penn Station to the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On-site parking will not be available for most fans, so New Jersey officials anticipate that about 40,000 fans will use mass transit for each match.

The home stadium for both the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets is set to host eight World Cup matches, including the tournament final on July 19. Group-stage matches for football powerhouses Brazil, France, Germany, and England, along with other nations, begin on June 13.