NYC offers – New York City will sell 1,000 heavily discounted FIFA World Cup tickets for $50 through a lottery restricted to NYC residents, with the program aimed at easing the financial pressure that has surrounded ticket prices for the tournament.
When Alex Lasry described the push for a more affordable World Cup, he wasn’t talking about stadium access or atmosphere. He was talking about prices—and whether New Yorkers would be able to get in at all.
On May 21. Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced that New York City is putting 1. 000 World Cup tickets on the table for $50. a steep drop from the thousands of dollars many seats currently cost. The lottery is open only to New York City residents. with eligibility checks and multiple daily entry rounds set to start Monday. May 25.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 begins in June, with matches played across the United States, Canada and Mexico. In New Jersey, MetLife Stadium—renamed “New York New Jersey Stadium” for the tournament—will host several of the games, including the final on July 19.
Mamdani said the ticket program fits his campaign focus on affordability for New Yorkers. Speaking at a news briefing in Manhattan’s Harlem neighborhood, the Democrat linked the effort to the city’s broader cost-of-living agenda.
“City Hall’s commitment to tackling the cost of living crisis isn’t limited to making it easier to afford home or childcare,” Mamdani said. “It extends to making it possible for every New Yorker to take part in the things that make us human.”
Tickets priced at $50 instead of thousands
Mamdani said the allocated tickets will cost $50. He framed that as a sharp contrast to MetLife Stadium’s current average of $2,749, based on seatpick.com.
The World Cup has faced scrutiny for what supporters and critics alike have described as exorbitant ticket prices. Mamdani told reporters that New York City is the first jurisdiction to offer a discount initiative.
He also said no taxpayer funds are used toward the tickets.
The games covered—and where they’ll be played
The discounted city tickets will be distributed in a lottery system for seven games, with 150 tickets per game.
The New Jersey stadium will host five group-stage matches:
June 13: Brazil vs. Morocco
June 16: France vs. Senegal
June 22: Norway vs. Senegal
June 25: Ecuador vs. Germany
June 27: Panama vs. England
Those matchups are part of the city’s total slate, which also includes two knockout-stage games.
How the lottery works, day by day
The lottery opens Monday, May 25, at 10 a.m., at regnyctix.com. City officials capped daily openings at 50,000 entries.
A New Yorker can sign up once per day during the six-day lottery window, allowing people to enter up to six times, until Saturday, May 30.
City officials will verify winners are New Yorkers using official IDs, pay stubs, rental or mortgage agreements and recent utility bills, according to the website’s FAQ.
If someone is selected to purchase a ticket, that person can purchase an additional ticket.
Lottery winners will be notified June 3 via email if they won, and the ticket lottery website says winners will have 48 hours to purchase up to two tickets.
Distribution also comes with transportation: Mamdani said the tickets will be distributed on the day of the match before boarding a free round-trip bus to MetLife.
That matters for practical reasons. The stadium, located in New Jersey, normally hosts NFL teams, and viral social media videos have compared it to European venues that are walkable and concentrated in city centers. In New Jersey, it is not possible to enter the New Jersey stadium by foot.
Why the program is restricted—and what Mamdani says it changes
Mamdani said the discounted tickets are designed to ensure equal representation across all five boroughs.
“I believe this is the moment to make sure that everybody is included,” City Councilman Yusef Salaam, a Harlem Democrat, said. “That everybody is lifted up.”
To qualify, tickets are available to all residents ages 15 and older.
The program also comes as New York City is preparing for multiple free World Cup-related events. In addition to the lottery tickets, the city is hosting several free World Cup events in each of the five boroughs.
Before Mamdani took office in January. Alex Lasry. CEO of the New York New Jersey Host Committee for the FIFA World Cup. said he and Mamdani spoke about the need to ensure the World Cup was “affordable and accessible to all New Yorkers.” On May 21. with the lottery now set to begin. that idea was translated into a concrete $50 ticket offer—1. 000 seats at a price that’s meant to feel possible.
Analytical link between the pieces of the announcement
The sequence of details—$50 pricing against a $2. 749 average. a lottery that opens May 25 and runs through May 30. winner verification tied to New York residency. and match-day ticket distribution alongside free round-trip bus service—puts affordability at the center of how the city plans to bridge the gap between high World Cup demand and New Yorkers’ budgets.
Where things stand now
The lottery is scheduled to open Monday, May 25, at 10 a.m. at regnyctix.com, with daily entry limits of 50,000. Winners will be notified June 3, and will have 48 hours to purchase up to two tickets.
With MetLife hosting multiple group-stage games beginning June 13 and the final set for July 19, the city’s discounted-ticket plan is set to turn affordability from a debate about prices into a set of rules—and a chance to get in—before the tournament calendar takes over the region.
New York City Zohran Mamdani World Cup 2026 MetLife Stadium ticket lottery $50 tickets regnyctix.com cost of living affordability