NEW YORK,Sep. 10, 2025 – New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is urging soccer’s global governing body to lower ticket prices for the upcoming World Cup, arguing that current plans will “price working people out of the game.”
Mamdani, a Democratic nominee focused on affordability, wants FIFA to abandon demand-based pricing for the 2026 World Cup and reserve discounted tickets for residents.
- New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is protesting FIFA’s World Cup ticket pricing.
- he likens the demand-based system to “price gouging” and calls for affordability.
- mamdani advocates for 15% of tickets to be discounted for local residents.
- The 2026 World Cup will be held across 16 North American cities, with eight matches, including the final, at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
In a petition released Wednesday, Mamdani demanded that FIFA reverse its plan to set ticket prices based on demand. This move comes as fans began applying for tickets via a presale draw.
Will working-class New Yorkers be able to afford to attend the World Cup matches? Mamdani, who ran on a platform of making New York City more affordable, questioned this directly.
“As a lifelong football — sorry, I meen soccer — fan, I couldn’t be more excited,” Mamdani said in a social media video, humorously adopting a faux-British accent. He juggled a soccer ball while wearing dress shoes.
“But are any working-class New Yorkers actually going to be able to watch any of the matches?” he asked.
The tournament is scheduled to be played across 16 cities in North America. MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, a short train ride from New York City, will host eight matches, including the final.
“So many of our neighbors will not be able to afford to be there,” Mamdani stated, accusing FIFA of “pricing working people out of the game that they love.”
A FIFA spokesperson did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
“Pope John Paul II said, ‘Of all the insignificant things, football is the most vital,'” Mamdani said at a news conference Wednesday. “This is part and parcel of a larger affordability crisis in this city. Onc again, it will be working people who will be left behind.”
