Free World Cup events with fellow soccer fans in NYC
With a giant soccer ball looming, Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Gov. Kathy Hochul join forces on Staten Island on Monday to announce the free viewing parties. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
Free fan events including viewing parties to accommodate tens of thousands of attendees will be held across New York City during World Cup, Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Zohran Mamdani announced Monday.
The region is preparing to host more than 1 million visitors for the soccer matches, some of which will be played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
"If you can't get to the World Cup," Hochul said at an announcement on Staten Island, "the World Cup is coming to you."
The events will be held in Queens, at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center; at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan; at the Bronx Terminal Market; in Brooklyn Bridge Park; and at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park, the baseball stadium where Hochul and Mamdani announced the events Monday.
Dates vary, but the events will be held over multiple days.
On Long Island, Stony Brook University will host a viewing party on June 12, the governor previously said.
The World Cup kicks off June 11 in Mexico City. It will come to MetLife Stadium on June 13, with Brazil against Morocco. The stadium will host eight matches in total, including the final on July 19.
It won't be very accessible in person. Roundtrip tickets on NJ Transit will cost $150. There will be no general parking at MetLife Stadium. And even if you can get to the stadium, the majority of ticket options are astronomically priced.
"As we prepare to host the World Cup right here in our backyard, we want to do everything in our power to make it more affordable for fans to make those memories," said Mamdani, who has criticized the ticket prices as too high.
Hochul has also announced plans statewide to authorize bars to remain open as late as 4 a.m. during the entire duration of the World Cup, not just when the game is played locally. In some jurisdictions, bars are typically required by local law to close sooner. Hochul spokeswoman Kassandra White said the proposal would override local laws.
Matthew Chayes, a Newsday reporter since 2007, covers New York City.
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