![\"FIFA](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2023-05-18T193015Z_1434153170_RC2111A7YRBM_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-FIFA.jpg\" "\\"US")
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The New York\/New Jersey\u2019s FIFA World Cup 2026 logo is revealed during the kickoff event in Times Square in New York City, U.S., May 18, 2023. REUTERS\/Brendan McDermid<\/p>\n
Despite the below-freezing temperatures, soccer fans packed out Father Duffy Square and its iconic ruby-red steps for the U.S. Soccer Federation-hosted 2026 FIFA World Cup Draw watch party in Times Square on Friday.<\/p>\n
The host nation\u2019s soccer governing body and the NY\/NJ Host Committee collaborated to create a jumbotron for spectators to watch the draw and a hard-court, four-a-side soccer pitch for the event, inviting local New York youth and community teams to compete in a tournament for silverware.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is an iconic space for what is going to be the most important milestone of the World Cup until our first match,\u201d Alex Lasry, CEO of the host committee, told amNY. \u201cWe want to make sure that we\u2019re taking over New York, and that we\u2019re making sure that we\u2019re part of the fabric and culture.\u201d<\/p>\n
The New York Greek Americans won the six-team adult tournament and had their trophy and prizes presented by U.S. Men\u2019s National Team (USMNT) goalkeeper Matthew Turner and USWNT midfielder Jaedyn Shaw, who recently won the NWSL championship<\/a> with Gotham FC.\u00a0<\/p>\n NYCFC\u2019s Matthew Freese was also there to witness the U.S. draw Australia, Paraguay, and one of T\u00fcrkiye, Romania, Slovakia, and Kosovo \u2014 who are still in contention to qualify for the tournament through the European Path C playoffs.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt was so great to see so much energy, a fantastic atmosphere, and a lot of fans here,\u201d Freese told amNY.\n<\/p>\n The watch party was free to enter, and hosts Alexis Guerroros and Christina Polanco, the duo that make up The Cooligans show<\/a>, routinely invited New Yorkers and tourists alike wandering Times Square in.\u00a0<\/p>\n The comedian duo managed to entice Duncan Stewart and Sean Watson, two Scottish fans who joined the festivities after walking up from a stroll around Central Park. The Tartan Army members were visiting from their native Glasgow and \u201cstopped to have a look at the buzz\u201d and see their country partake in a World Cup draw for the first time in 28 years.<\/p>\n \u201c[The U.S. is] not renowned as a footballing nation or a soccer nation,\u201d Stewart told amNY, \u201cbut I appreciate anything that enhances and promotes the game.\u201d<\/p>\n However, they would not be making the trip next summer because it is \u201cprohibitively expensive,\u201d according to Stewart. Besides flight costs for foreign fans who want to watch their team play in the world\u2019s biggest tournament, ticket prices to attend games have soared, driven by FIFA\u2019s dynamic pricing model<\/a>. According to reporting from The Athletic\u2019s Henry Bushnell, initial prices in October had astonished fans<\/a> and grew even more by last month, when the second phase of sales began.<\/p>\n Additionally, fans from qualified nations, Iran and Haiti, may not be able to make the trip to North America to see their countries play.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n Mehdi Taj, Iran\u2019s soccer federation president, was denied a visa to enter the country<\/a> along with others from the delegation for the draw, which was held at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. Iran said it would boycott the draw, but backtracked<\/a> the night before announcing head coach Ardeshir Ghalehnoy will be in attendance.<\/p>\n The nations are two of 19 countries whose citizens are barred from entering the U.S. for the tournament due to national security concerns.\n<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to make sure that we\u2019re welcoming the world, and it\u2019s why we\u2019re working hand in hand with the World Cup Task Force<\/a>, to make sure that fans who want to be a part of it can be here,\u201d Lasry said. \u201cWe\u2019ve also got to make sure that security is taken seriously. The world doesn\u2019t stop spinning just because the World Cup is coming.\u201d<\/p>\n