Free fan events including viewing parties will be held across New York City during the World Cup, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday.
The region is preparing to host over 1 million visitors for the World Cup, some of which will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
“If you can’t get to the World Cup,” Hochul said at an announcement on Staten Island, “the World Cup is coming to you.”
The events will be held in Queens, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center; at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan; at the Bronx Terminal Market; in Brooklyn Bridge Park; and at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park, the baseball stadium where Hochul and Mamdani announced the events Monday.
Dates vary, but the events will be held over multiple days.
Locally, Stony Brook University will host a viewing party on June 12, the governor has said.
The World Cup kicks off June 11 in Mexico City. It will come to MetLife Stadium on June 13, with Brazil against Morocco. The stadium will host eight matches in total, including the final on July 19.
It won’t be very accessible in person. Roundtrip tickets on NJ Transit will cost $150. There will be no general parking at MetLife Stadium.
And even if you can get to the stadium, the majority of ticket options are astronomically priced.
“As we prepare to host the World Cup right here in our backyard, we want to do everything in our power to make it more affordable for fans to make those memories,” Mamdani said.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.