On Thursday, Mayor Zohran Mamdani revealed plans for a lottery that will offer 1,000 lucky participants the chance to purchase World Cup tickets for just $50 each. This initiative aims to make the exciting event more accessible to local fans.
The lottery is designed to distribute tickets for various matches throughout the group stage and knockout rounds of the six-week tournament. However, it does not include tickets for the final match.
Currently, tickets for some of the early matches, like the highly anticipated France vs. Senegal game, are being resold on the secondary market for prices ranging from $500 to $800 for the least expensive seats.
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In addition to the affordable ticket price, the city’s program includes round-trip bus transportation to the games held in New Jersey, further easing the logistics for fans.
Mayor Mamdani shared the news in one of his trademark social media videos, humorously comparing the $50 ticket cost to other purchases, such as 10 months of “hard-hitting journalism” from the New York Post.
City Hall says the Host Committee, which has been largely funded by New York and New Jersey taxpayer dollars, is providing the tickets.
However, Hizzoner danced around the answer when pressed on how much they cost.
“These are part of the conversation so we’ve been having with the host committee and the partnership that we built with the host video of this time, I can tell you that there’s no taxpayer funding going towards the allocation of these tickets,” he said.
New York City alone has sent $35 million to the Host Committee.
It was unclear why New Yorkers outside the city weren’t eligible for a similar program, as well as New Jersey residents.
