ANALYSIS
Mamdani doles out crumbs: Draws 1,000 $50 tickets after spending $90 million on World Cup
While the mayor brags about bringing soccer closer to the people, the city will pour millions of dollars into the tournament, drawing harsh criticism from Republicans who see it as a bad deal for taxpayers.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Thursday that the city will raffle 1,000 tickets at only $50 for FIFA 2026, which will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
Winners of the drawing will also receive free round-trip bus rides from New York to the stadium. Mamdani presented the initiative during an event in Harlem, where he stressed that this is a way to bring the people's sport to everyday New Yorkers.
The mayor insisted that no taxpayer money will go directly to these cheap tickets. However, this statement generated immediate criticism, as, according to the New York Post (NYP), New York City will provide some $90 million to host the tournament.
David Carr lashes out at Mamdani
City Council Republican leader David Carr was one of the harshest: "FIFA will be raking in billions with this World Cup, thanks in part to the largesse of New York City taxpayers, and in return they give us a measly 1,000 low-cost tickets? I think the Mayor shanked that one."
The tickets drawn, originally priced at around $500, are for group stage and round of 16 matches, but will not include the final. The tickets will be non-transferable to avoid resale.
Mamdani comes out in defense of his initiative
The mayor defended the measure in a very active video on social media, comparing the $50 to other things you can buy in New York, including - ironically - a 10-month subscription to the New York Post.
"And for 1,000 lucky New Yorkers? A ticket to the World Cup," he added.
Insufficient and expensive: Criticism of Mamdani's draw
Despite the announcement, the initiative has been described by some as insufficient. Sources close to the organization pointed out that while the World Cup organizing committee will provide the tickets, the city has already committed tens of millions of dollars to security, marketing and other expenses related to the event.
The NYP revealed that of the $90 million, "$20 million [is] directly to the host committee that helped arrange the ticket lottery." Also, "another $29 million will go toward the city’s Economic Development Corporation, $12 million to the NYPD, $4.9 million on marketing."
The drawing will be conducted in several batches and winners will be notified next June 3.
LATEST
