NEW YORK − New York City is offering 1,000 heavily discounted World Cup tickets to residents, Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced May 21.
The allocated tickets will cost $50, Mamdani told reporters, a steep drop from MetLife Stadium’s current average of $2,749, according to seatpick.com. The FIFA World Cup 2026 begins in June, with games played across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“City Hall’s commitment to tackling the cost of living crisis isn’t limited to making it easier to afford home or childcare,” Mamdani, a Democrat, said at a news briefing in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood, invoking his campaign commitment of addressing affordability for New Yorkers. “It extends to making it possible for every New Yorker to take part in the things that make us human.”
The upcoming men’s World Cup has faced scrutiny for exorbitant ticket prices. Mamdani said New York City is the first to offer a discount initiative.
World Cup games at MetLife, which is called New York New Jersey Stadium for the tournament, begin on June 13. MetLife, located in New Jersey, will also host the World Cup final on July 19.
Before Mamdani took office in January, Alex Lasry, CEO of the New York New Jersey Host Committee for the FIFA World Cup, said he and Mamdani spoke about the need to ensure the World Cup was “affordable and accessible to all New Yorkers.”
Mamdani said no taxpayer funds are used toward the tickets.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announces the appointment of Christine Clarke as chair and commissioner for the New York City Commission on Human Rights at Diversity Plaza in Jackson Heights, Queens in New York City, New York, United States on January 7, 2026. (Photo by Jason Alpert-Wisnia / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images)
Which World Cup games are included?
The discounted city tickets will be distributed in a lottery system for seven games, with 150 tickets per game, Mamdani said. The games include five group-stage matches and two games in the tournament’s knockout.
The New Jersey stadium is set to host five group-stage games:
June 13: Brazil vs. Morocco
June 16: France vs. Senegal
June 22: Norway vs. Senegal
June 25: Ecuador vs. Germany
June 27: Panama vs. England
FIFA 2026 World Cup signage is displayed at MetLife Stadium, May 7, 2026, East Rutherford, NJ, USA.
How will NYC discounted tickets be distributed?
The lottery will open Monday, May 25, at 10 a.m., with daily openings capped at 50,000 entries at regnyctix.com. A New Yorker can sign up only once a day in the six-day lottery window, so people can enter up to six times, until Saturday, May 30.
Tickets are available to all residents ages 15 and older. City officials will verify lottery winners are New Yorkers using official IDs, pay stubs, rental or mortgage agreements and recent utility bills, according to the website’s FAQ.
If a person gets a lottery spot to purchase the ticket, the person can purchase an additional ticket.
Tickets will be distributed on the day of the match before boarding a free round-trip bus to MetLife, Mamdani said. The stadium, which normally hosts NFL teams, has been the focus of viral social media videos comparing it to professional soccer stadiums in Europe that are walkable and concentrated in city centers. It is not possible to enter the New Jersey stadium by foot.
The discounted tickets, Mamdani said, will also ensure equal representation across all five boroughs.
“I believe this is the moment to make sure that everybody is included,” city Councilman Yusef Salaam, a Harlem Democrat, said. “That everybody is lifted up.”
Winners will be notified June 3 via email if they won a ticket, the ticket lottery website said. Winners will have 48 hours to purchase up to two tickets.
Apart from the lottery tickets, New York City is also hosting several free World Cup events in each of the five boroughs.
Eduardo Cuevas is based in New York City. Reach him by email at emcuevas1@usatoday.com or on Signal at emcuevas.01.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: NYC offers 1,000 $50 World Cup tickets, Mayor Mamdani says. Here’s how