• New York City is offering 1,000 tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup for $50 each.
• The scheme includes free round-trip bus transportation to MetLife Stadium.
• Residents can enter a lottery starting on May 25 for a chance to purchase tickets.
• The initiative aims to make World Cup matches affordable for working-class New Yorkers.
• Most tickets are allocated for five group-stage matches and two knockout rounds.

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced an initiative to sell 1,000 tickets to the 2026 FIFA World Cup at just $50 each, aimed at making the event more accessible for local residents. The announcement was made from a bar in Harlem, where Mamdani emphasized the goal of allowing working-class New Yorkers to participate in the tournament despite soaring ticket prices. "We are making sure that working people will not be priced out of the game that they helped to create," he stated, highlighting the affordability of the tickets in relation to everyday expenses like coffee, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.

The tickets will cover seven matches at MetLife Stadium, including five group-stage games and two knockout matches, excluding the highly priced final on July 19. Residents can enter a lottery beginning May 25, with each winner allowed to purchase up to two tickets. The initiative is designed to combat ticket scalping, as tickets will be non-transferable and issued directly to lottery winners at the bus departure point, according to India Times and Reuters.

In response to early criticisms over excessive travel costs to the stadium, the initiative includes free round-trip bus service from New York City to MetLife Stadium. Previously, public transportation options for the event were projected to be prohibitively expensive, prompting backlash from the community, as New Jersey Transit sought to raise fares significantly during the tournament. Mamdani’s plan mitigates this concern by including transportation within the ticket price, according to Al Jazeera and India Times.

City officials and the mayor expressed that this initiative is a joint effort between the mayor's office and the NY/NJ World Cup Host Committee, distinct from FIFA's direct ticketing processes. Mamdani had previously criticized FIFA's pricing strategies, advocating for discounted tickets to be reserved for local residents and making appeals for adjustments to reselling practices throughout his campaign. The standout feature of this program is its focus on local residents, marking it as a unique approach among World Cup host cities, according to Reuters and India Times.