The Athletic has live coverage of the 2026 U.S. Open.
New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has responded to public concern over surging U.S. Open ticket prices by securing 1,000 “affordable” tickets for the tournament, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis to local residents.
Later on Tuesday, Mamdani will announce that New York City residents will be able to buy $100 tickets for main-draw matches taking place between Aug. 30 and through Sept. 8, which would appear to give New Yorkers the chance to buy tickets until the quarterfinal stage of the competition.
The tickets made available will include seats in the two biggest show courts, Arthur Ashe Stadium and Louis Armstrong Stadium, as well as grounds passes. Tickets to Arthur Ashe Stadium will also grant spectators access to general admission seating on Armstrong and all other courts; tickets to Louis Armstrong Stadium will also grant spectators access to general admission seating on all other courts except Arthur Ashe Stadium, which is fully ticketed.
The tickets will be available from 10 a.m. ET, Wednesday Aug. 26. In order to be eligible, buyers must have a certified NYC zip code.
Crucially, the tickets will not be eligible for resale through Ticketmaster, the tournament’s secondary market platform. This is where prices have been soaring, with grounds passes going for between $240 and $478 as of Tuesday morning, despite the face-value price for the cheapest being $65. All the tickets in Mamdani and the USTA’s initiative have a face value of $100 or more.
The cheapest resale seat in Arthur Ashe Stadium on the opening day — when buying a pair — is up to $344 on resale, while courtside seats are over $1,000. There is no cap on resale prices. In other industries in which rampant resale markets are problematic, including live music, some acts have blocked uncapped secondary markets.
The United States Tennis Association, which takes a small commission on resales through Ticketmaster, is also halfway through an $800M renovation of its biggest stadium, which has reconfigured the seating such that there are more seats in higher price categories than there were before.
Sources briefed on the negotiations who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly said that any difference in price between Mamdani’s $100 tickets and the actual value is being absorbed by USTA.
In a statement to The Athletic on Tuesday, Mayor Mamdani said: “This summer, we have shown again and again that sports belong to the people. From the World Cup to track and field championships, we have opened stadium doors to some of the biggest sporting events in the world so more New Yorkers can enjoy them. Today, we are doubling down on that work by making the US Open more affordable for New Yorkers. If the world’s best tennis players are coming to our city, New Yorkers should be able to see them play.”
USTA chief executive Craig Tiley said in a statement: “We want as many people as possible to experience tennis and the U.S. Open, and this additional Main Draw ticket access for New Yorkers only strengthens that commitment.
“The U.S. Open already offers eight days of free grounds admission. Great crowds of fans and families are coming out to see the best players in the world practice up close, watch world-class competition with Qualifying and Mixed Doubles and experience much more during our free-to-attend Fan Week.
“Access to tennis will always be our priority, and we’re proud to be able to deliver this Main Draw ticket offer to the residents of New York — the home of the US Open for more than 100 years.”
Mamdani has made more affordable access to elite sports a priority of his administration since entering office in January this year. He secured a rare concession from FIFA by negotiating 1,000 tickets priced at $50 for World Cup games at MetLife Stadium for New Yorkers, which also provided free round-trip bus travel for the local residents.
In an interview with The Athletic while campaigning for election in October, Mamdani said he considered intervention by politicians to be necessary when sports tickets become out of reach for fans.
He said: “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.”
The singles main draws at the U.S. Open start Sunday, Aug. 30. The mixed doubles competition, which is part of Fan Week and features some matches which fans can attend for free, runs today (Tuesday, Aug. 25) through Wednesday.