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Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday that all official 2026 FIFA World Cup Fan Fest events in New York City will be free of charge this summer.
New York City is among 11 U.S. cities hosting the quadrennial tournament, and since winning the election last November, Mamdani has repeatedly vowed to make the experience more accessible, criticizing FIFA over its high ticket prices. This newest commitment has the mayor organizing five multi-day fan events — one in each of the city's five boroughs — through a partnership with the New York New Jersey World Cup Host Committee.
"The world's game truly unites people from all walks of life," Mamdani said at a press conference alongside the host committee. "As we get ready to welcome the World Cup right here in our city, we want to do everything possible to ensure fans can create those lasting memories without financial barriers."
"If the best things in life are free, the World Cup fan experience should be no different," added Mamdani, a devoted soccer fan himself. "These events were not originally planned to be free, but the world's game should belong to everyone."
Each fan event will feature live match screenings and local food vendors, and will span multiple days rather than a single occasion.
In Queens, the fan event will be hosted at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center from June 11–27; in Manhattan, fans will gather at the Fan Village in Rockefeller Center from July 6–19; in the Bronx, the event will be held at the Bronx Terminal Market from June 13–14; in Staten Island, supporters will convene at Staten Island Hospital Community Park from June 29–July 2; and in Brooklyn, the festivities will take place at Brooklyn Bridge Park from June 13–July 19.
"Every fan deserves to watch the greatest tournament on the planet without having to drain their savings," Mamdani concluded. "Today, we took the first of many steps toward making that a reality."
Mamdani Condemns FIFA
FIFA's ticket prices have soared to unprecedented levels at this World Cup — in many cases four times higher than seats at the 2022 edition in Qatar — driven by the organization's adoption of "dynamic pricing." Mamdani has been vocal in expressing his displeasure over the issue.
"FIFA's approach to ticketing for this World Cup is unlike anything seen in their previous tournaments and will effectively shut out countless New Yorkers from being able to sit in the stands," he stated back in September when tickets first became available. Prices have continued to climb with each subsequent sales phase.
In response to widespread criticism, FIFA did release a limited batch of "Support Entry Tier" tickets priced at $60, amounting to roughly 1,000 seats per match.
Following that release, Mamdani commented in December: "A $60 'supporter ticket' covering just 1.6% of seats simply isn't sufficient — not when FIFA has set the highest ticket prices in World Cup history."
"Thousands of people spoke out demanding a tournament that New Yorkers can actually afford. Here's what we truly need: eliminate dynamic pricing, cap resale prices, and reserve 15% of tickets for local fans at a discounted rate. The beautiful game must be accessible to all."
Other Cities Efforts for World Cup Affordability
New York City is not alone among World Cup host cities in trying to make the tournament more financially accessible for fans.
Toronto is also hosting a free 22-day FIFA Fan Festival running from June 11–July 19, featuring public match screenings, live performances, cultural programming, art installations, and food.
Philadelphia has addressed transportation costs by securing a deal to provide free rides for fans departing Lincoln Financial Field via SEPTA, the city's public transit network, through a partnership with Airbnb. The complimentary service will begin at halftime of each match and run for two hours after the final whistle. The standard $2.90 fare will still apply for fans traveling to the stadium.
Kansas City is similarly helping fans with tournament travel, providing a direct shuttle from the FIFA Fan Festival or one of four park-and-ride locations to Arrowhead Stadium for $15 round-trip, or unlimited rides for $50. The host city committee is also running a free shuttle from the airport to downtown, operating every 15 minutes.