New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani announced Thursday that the city will offer its residents the opportunity to purchase $50 tickets to matches played in New Jersey during the 2026 FIFA World Cup. One thousand affordable tickets will be allocated through a lottery system.
The discounted tickets include free round-trip bus transportation to the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and will cover five group stage matches and two knockout stage matches, with 150 tickets available for each game.
"We want to ensure that workers who helped build this country are not deprived of attending the tournament because of high prices," Mamdani said at a press conference in Harlem. He added jokingly that the $50 ticket price is roughly equivalent to the cost of five cups of coffee in New York City.
Starting May 25, residents will be able to enter a lottery for a chance to purchase tickets. These tickets will be non-transferable and will be distributed to winners at the bus station in an effort to prevent price gouging.
Affordability is a major issue at the tournament, which is being co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
According to TicketData, a platform that tracks ticket prices, the average cost of "going in" to a group stage match in New York City reached $864 as of Wednesday.
Some resold tickets are being offered for thousands of dollars through various platforms, including FIFA's official resale and exchange marketplace.
Tickets for the best seats for the final, to be held on July 19 in New Jersey, have been listed for nearly $33,000.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended the high ticket prices for the World Cup this month.
New York City Councilman Yusuf Salam said, "This is the right time to make sure everyone is involved and to lift everyone's spirits."
Winners of the lottery will be able to purchase up to two tickets each.
