USMNT Star Offers Support As New York City Secures Cheapest World Cup Tickets

One thousand tickets will be available to seven matches at New York New Jersey Stadium.

Zohran Mamdani (center) has secured $50 World Cup tickets for 1,000 New Yorkers per game in New Jersey. | Michael Nagle/Bloomberg/Getty Images, Angelina Katsanis/Bloomberg/Getty Images, Jessie Rogers/USSF/Getty Images

Most tickets cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars on the initial market for the 2026 World Cup, but New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has made them more affordable for some New Yorkers by securing $50 tickets for city residents. 

One thousand tickets will be available for $50 to seven of the eight matches at New York New Jersey Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, usually known as MetLife Stadium. The matches include five group stage games, a round of 32 clash and a round of 16 contest, with the only New York New Jersey game not included being the July 19 World Cup final. 

The tickets will be distributed by random ballot to New York City residents, and those lucky few will also receive complimentary bus travel to and from the games. The tickets are set to be the cheapest available to the World Cup, even more budget-friendly than FIFA’s supporter tier tickets, which are priced at $60 and take up 1.6% each game, roughly 1,000 per game across the 104 games and 16 venues in North America. 

“There are countless New Yorkers desperate to attend a World Cup match, but who simply cannot afford to go,” Mamdani said Thursday. “We are making sure that working people will not be priced out of the game that they helped to create.”

According to reports from The Athletic, Mamdani made his case to FIFA president Gianni Infantino during a March meeting in Manhattan, with FIFA chief of global development Arsène Wenger made available through video call. 

The tickets will not hinder FIFA’s revenue streams, as they come from the allotment purchased by the local host committee. However, FIFA still had to approve the plan, which will apply only to New Yorkers, not to New Jersey residents, where the game will be played, as local leadership did not request similar support. 

New Jersey leadership, instead, prioritized assistance for commuters, securing over $3.5 million to help with the costs of New Jersey residents impacted by the disruptions the World Cup will cause in the area.

Securing cheaper tickets is Mamdani’s latest financial help for fans to take in soccer, after he and his team developed a similar plan for 1,000 $5 tickets to a recent NWSL match between Gotham FC and Boston Legacy at Sports Illustrated Stadium in nearby Harrison, New Jersey. 

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USMNT’s Tim Weah Embraces New York, Cheaper Tickets

Tim Weah is pleased with the new ticket prices for some New Yorkers. | Robin Alam/ISI Photos/Getty Images

Likely to be named to the U.S. men’s national team on Tuesday at an event in New York City, Brooklyn native Tim Weah spoke alongside Mamdani at Thursday’s announcement, after previously citing his disappointment about tickets to the tournament being “too expensive.”

“I think this opportunity is really healthy for the community and for New York in its whole,” Weah said Thursday. “I think as athletes, it’s important to have a voice because we are the pillars of this community. We are the leaders of the next generation.”

USMNT star and Brooklyn native Timothy Weah at Zohran Mamdani’s affordable tickets press conference: pic.twitter.com/WcFpGfk8ho

— Margaret Fleming (@mgfleming12) May 21, 2026

When Weah made his initial concerns known, USMNT manager Mauricio Pochettino snapped back at a press conference in January, saying that “it is not his duty to evaluate the price of a ticket,” despite having previously cited his concerns about the U.S. playing in front of sparse crowds or largely away supporters on home soil. 

“As a kid, it was always a dream to be out there and to be in stadiums playing,” Weah added. “My job is to bring joy, to put smiles on faces, and I’m going to do exactly that while standing by [Mamdani’s] side and making sure we can make it easier for everyone.”

The USMNT is not scheduled to play at New York New Jersey Stadium, but could end up in a round of 32 clash at the venue by finishing third in Group D, or in the World Cup final on July 19. Instead, the venue will host Brazil, Morocco, France, Senegal, Norway, Ecuador, Germany and England in the group stage, with opponents for the knockout rounds yet to be determined.

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