NEW YORK (AP) — Some lucky New York City residents will soon have the chance to snag cheap seats on big ticket tickets this summer. world cup.
mayor Zoran Mandani announced Thursday that it will give away 1,000 $50 tickets to residents of the city of more than 8 million people for the world’s most-watched sporting event.
“To put it in perspective, that’s the equivalent of five lattes in New York City,” Mamdani joked with men’s national team forward Timothy Ware at a bar in Harlem’s Little Senegal neighborhood.
Approximately 150 tickets will be sold per game for seven of the eight games played at the 82,000-seat MetLife Stadium, located across the river from Manhattan, New Jersey. The only exception is the high-demand final on July 19, where some seats are now expensive. Approximately $33,000.
The mayor said tickets also include free round-trip bus transportation to the stadium for ticket holders. They will be distributed by lottery starting May 25th.
To prevent scalping, Mamdani said the city will take steps to ensure that what it distributes goes to New York City residents and is not resold on the secondary market.
He said tickets are non-transferable and city officials will verify residency through “a variety of methods.” Additionally, tickets will only be distributed directly to fans riding the bus on game day.
“We’re making sure working people don’t pay for the games they helped create,” Mamdani said.
The Democrat, who took office in January, said the effort highlights that his administration is not just focused on making everyday items like housing and food more affordable.
“It extends to allowing all New Yorkers to participate in what makes us human,” he says.
During his election campaign, Mamdani called on FIFA, the world governing body for soccer, as follows: make it cheaper We will ensure that New Yorkers can attend the games by reserving 15% of tickets at a discounted price for residents. He has also launched a petition calling on FIFA to reverse its plans to set ticket prices based on demand.
The mayor’s office said the $50 tickets will not come directly from FIFA, but from tickets allocated to the joint committee for the New York and New Jersey games.
Previously, FIFA had several $60 ticket After facing backlash over the exorbitant prices of tickets, they were made available for all games in the North American tournament.
However, these discounted tickets were sent to the national federations of the participating teams, who then decided how to distribute them to loyal fans who had attended previous games at home or on the road.
In addition to the championship game, the home stadiums of the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets will host five World Cup group games and two knockout stage games. Group stage matches between soccer powerhouses Brazil, France, Germany, England and other countries will begin on June 13th.
___
Follow Philip Marcelo https://x.com/philmarcelo
