NYC Launches $50 World Cup Ticket Lottery for Local Fans
New York soccer fans are getting a rare shot at affordable 2026 World Cup tickets. On Thursday, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced a special lottery program that will let local residents buy $50 tickets for matches at MetLife Stadium, which will temporarily become NYNJ Stadium during the tournament.
Here’s the exciting part:
- 1,000 discounted tickets will be available for NYC residents
- Every winner can buy up to two tickets
- Fans also get free roundtrip bus transportation to the games
The ticket offer covers five group-stage matches and two knockout-round games in East Rutherford, New Jersey. Organizers say the goal is to make the World Cup experience accessible for everyday New Yorkers, not just big spenders.
Mamdani shared the announcement in Harlem’s Little Senegal neighborhood, saying the city wants working-class families and longtime soccer fans to feel included in one of the biggest sporting events in the world. He also called the program a major step toward making the tournament “for the people.”
Fans can begin entering the lottery on Monday, with applicants allowed to submit one entry per day. There will be a daily limit of 50,000 entries, and winners will be randomly selected and notified on June 3. To stop ticket scalping, all purchased tickets will be nontransferable. Applicants must be at least 15 years old to enter.
Some huge matchups are already scheduled for NYNJ Stadium, including:
- Brazil vs. Morocco
- France vs. Senegal
- Norway vs. Senegal
- Ecuador vs. Germany
- Panama vs. England
The venue will also host Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches before the tournament wraps up with the 2026 World Cup Final on July 19 in East Rutherford. Meanwhile, the tournament officially kicks off June 11 in Mexico City with Mexico facing South Africa.
