$50 Tickets For 1,000 New Yorkers: Mamdani's World Cup-Worthy FIFA Deal

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has reached an agreement with FIFA to make a limited number of low-cost tickets available to local residents for matches at the upcoming FIFA World Cup.

Under the arrangement, 1,000 tickets priced at $50 each will be offered through a lottery system exclusively for New York City residents. The tickets will be valid for matches being played at MetLife Stadium in neighbouring New Jersey during the tournament next June and July.

The offer covers five group-stage matches, one round-of-32 fixture and one round-of-16 game. However, the World Cup final on July 19 is not included in the scheme.

The tickets are currently the cheapest available through FIFA's official sales process. Fans selected through the ballot will also receive free round-trip bus transport to the stadium.

Mamdani Pushed FIFA Over High Ticket Prices

The programme follows a promise Mamdani made during his mayoral campaign, when he argued that ordinary football fans risked being shut out because of soaring World Cup ticket prices.

In an interview last year with The Athletic, he said FIFA's pricing "threaten to price out the very people that make this game so special."

He also argued that political leaders should intervene when major sporting events become too expensive for regular supporters.

"It is the place of leaders to step up when we see profit as the only motive, to an extent where so many who used to attend these very events can now not even conceive of doing so," he said.

According to the report, Mamdani personally raised the issue with FIFA president Gianni Infantino during a meeting at City Hall earlier this year. During the meeting, the mayor, a long time fan of Arsenal FC, was also introduced over FaceTime to former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, who now works as FIFA's chief of global football development.

Lottery System To Prevent Ticket Resale

The tickets will only be available to people living in New York City, and applicants will have to provide proof of residence. Residents aged 15 and above can enter the lottery, with winners selected randomly.

Applications will open on May 25 and close later the same day. Successful applicants will be informed in early June and will be allowed to purchase up to two tickets each.

Officials are also trying to stop resale or scalping of the discounted tickets. The tickets will be non-transferable and handed over only on match day at designated transport points before fans board buses to the stadium.

Reports said FIFA was initially hesitant about the plan because of concerns that it could create pressure for similar low-cost resale systems in other host cities. Eventually, the organisation approved the arrangement after negotiations with local organisers in New York and New Jersey.