FIFA World Cup 2026 countdown: New York, New Jersey prepares
Alex Lasry, CEO of the NYNJ Host Committee, discusses the countdown to the 2026 FIFA World Cup in New York and New Jersey. He outlines plans for free fan experiences across five boroughs and New Jersey, emphasizing public transportation solutions for 1.2 million fans. Lasry confirms that real grass will be installed at MetLife Stadium for the event, highlighting the global excitement for this major sporting event.
NEWYou can now listen to Pakinomist articles!
Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Thursday that New York City, in partnership with the NYNJ Host Committee, has secured 1,000 affordable tickets to the World Cup for New York residents, which can be purchased for $50 each.
At the time of publication, the cheapest Ticketmaster listing for a MetLife Stadium group stage game was $535 for the June 22 Norway-Senegal game.
Ticket holders will also receive free bus transportation to and from the stadium and New York — the committee had recently announced that such a trip would cost $80, while NJ Transit tickets were originally $150 before private funding lowered them to just under $100.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON Pakinomist
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani backed a proposal to tax luxury homes owned by non-residents, targeting ultra-wealthy property owners. (Michael Nagle/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
“A World Cup is coming to our backyard, and we want to make sure that working-class New Yorkers have the opportunity to be a part of it,” Mamdani said at a press conference in Harlem on Thursday. “We sat down with the host committee to make sure this tournament belongs to the people who make this city what it is. Today, 1,000 New Yorkers will get into these stands for $50 and a free bus ride. I’m proud New York City is leading the way.”
“This program exists because the mayor was determined to ensure that working New Yorkers would be in the stands when the World Cup comes home to New York,” said NYC World Cup Czar Maya Handa. “A kid in the Bronx, a security guard in Queens, a restaurant worker in Brooklyn or Staten Island — they’re going to walk into the stadium this summer because their city fought for them to be there.”
Transit officials are preparing for an unprecedented number of riders during World Cup matches this summer. (Luke Hales/Getty Images)
IRANIAN SLEEP CELLS POSE WORLD CUP THREAT, FORMER FBI AGENT WARNS, URGES TRUMP TO SEND STRONG WARNING
“Mayor Mamdani’s commitment to making the World Cup accessible to everyday New Yorkers… is exactly what it looks like when a city governs for the people,” added Councilman Yusef Salaam.
Tickets will be delivered to winners of a lottery system running from May 25th to May 29th.
FIFA did not immediately respond to a request for comment regarding Mamdani’s announcement.
Mamdani has previously slammed the “absurd” World Cup prices.
“What we’re seeing is that FIFA’s approach to the ticketing process for the World Cup is both unprecedented in their own administration of past World Cups and also an approach that will price so many New Yorkers out of actually being in the stands,” he said last September.
Fireworks light up the sky above the Met Life Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, ahead of the Club World Cup final soccer match between Chelsea and PSG on July 13, 2025. (Matt Slocum/AP)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE Pakinomist APP
The tickets, which cannot be resold, will be split between the first seven games at MetLife before it hosts the final on July 19.
