A few weeks from the beginning of the FIFA World Cup 2026, which for the first time will be hosted jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico, New York and New Jersey are finally understanding how to manage the welcome. This does not concern, in fact, only the matches – that will play mainly at MetLife Stadium, one of the central facilities of the tournament – but above all what happens outside the stadiums. The plan is aimed at transforming the entire city into a network of spaces dedicated to the vision of games and cultural events, accessible for free.
The initiative was presented by Mayor Mamdani and New York State Governor Kathy Hochul, who confirmed the creation of “Official NYNJ Fan Events” in all five boroughs. The project was created to replicate the experience of fans areas, which in the last editions of the World Cup – from FIFA World Cup 2014 to FIFA World Cup 2022 – attracted millions of people even without a ticket to the stadium. Mamdani wanted to underline just how for many fans the collective experience outside the plants was both central and sporty, even in view of the exorbitant cost that reached the tickets for the matches of these World Cups.
Since last October, when FIFA started sales for the FIFA World Cup 2026, ticket prices have been at the center of widespread criticism. The system introduced for this edition is that of the “dynamic pricing”, already used in other great sporting and musical events: prices vary over time according to demand, increasing significantly for the most requested matches. In the first seven months of sale, average rates grew by about 34 percent, with much higher peaks for the final or the competitions of the most followed nationals.
According to an analysis of The Athletic, between 2006 and 2022 a higher category ticket for the inaugural game cost, to updated values, between 500 and 630 euros; for 2026 you reach approximately 2,000 euros for the debut at the Estadio Azteca. For some matches in the United States, such as those expected in California, there are over 2,300 euros. The final, according to several estimates, is placed on levels comparable to events such as the Super Bowl, where prices can exceed 20-25 thousand euros on the secondary market.
In the United States and Canada re-sales is legal and FIFA has activated its own secondary official market, helping to further push prices. Additional costs are added to this: parking spaces managed by the same organization with average costs around 150 euros and local transport often more expensive than normal. In New Jersey, for example, the rail link between New York and the MetLife Stadium went from about 11 to almost 130 Euros back during the tournament. Also for this reason, the free initiatives spread in the neighborhoods become one of the main ways of accessing the World for most people.
The distribution in the five districts will also help to avoid an exclusive concentration in the most touristic areas of Manhattan. In Queens, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center will host the daily projections of the group stage from 11 to 27 June. In Manhattan, the Rockefeller Center will become a “Fan Village” in collaboration with Telemundo during the final stages, between 6 and 19 July. In Brooklyn, the Brooklyn Bridge Park will host daily events throughout the tournament, while in the Bronx the Bronx Terminal Market will be active on the first days. In Staten Island, the Staten Island University Hospital Community Park will offer evening screenings between late June and early July, with a new LED screen installed for the occasion.
According to estimates from the local organizing committee, these World Championships will have significant relapses on trade, catering and tourism, especially if distributed in the neighborhoods. In parallel, there are other major activations in the metropolitan area: a fan zone dedicated to Harrison, New Jersey, and a continuous programming to the American Dream Mall, one of the largest shopping centers in the United States.
L’articolo New York is organizing the World Championships even outside the stadiums proviene da IlNewyorkese.
