Tens of thousands of soccer fans will be able to watch the FIFA World Cup final together on the Great Lawn in Central Park, officials said Monday.
The park is set to host one of the largest watch parties in the world for the match, which will take place on Sunday, July 19, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani said at a news conference.
What You Need To Know
Central Park is set to host one of the largest watch parties in the world for the FIFA World Cup final, officials said Monday
Around 40,000 free tickets will be distributed via a lottery system, with 10,000 other tickets set aside for youth soccer groups, community organizations and not-for-profits
Hopeful attendees will be able to register online starting Thursday, June 11 at 10 a.m. through Thursday, July 16
Global Citizen will distribute around 40,000 free tickets via a lottery system, setting 10,000 other tickets aside for youth soccer groups, community organizations and not-for-profits, the two lawmakers said.
“We are literally counting the minutes until the World Cup comes to New York, and we literally expect over a million people, a million plus, to descend from all over the world to come to our great region,” Hochul said. “And we want every single one to have a world-class experience, and every single New Yorker [to] be part of the World Cup magic.”
Hopeful attendees will be able to register online starting Thursday, June 11 at 10 a.m. through Thursday, July 16.
The game will be streamed on giant LED screens, with five borough-based DJs, food vendors and an “incredible halftime show” all on the roster, the governor said.
Doors for the watch party will open at noon, three hours before the final starts. Ticket winners will be notified on a rolling basis, according to Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans.
The event, Mamdani said, is part of a broader effort to make World Cup festivities accessible for all New Yorkers.
The city previously opened a lottery for $50 World Cup tickets, a few of whose winners received calls from the mayor himself.
Each borough will also be hosting free World Cup fan events through the months of June and July.
Mamdani, who is an avid soccer fan, noted that sporting events have “grown increasingly unattainable for working people.”
“The most iconic match of the most iconic tournament in the world deserves to be watched in the most iconic park in the world, with the most iconic skyline as its backdrop,” he said. “And you will need not spend thousands of dollars to watch the final alongside your fellow New Yorkers.”