NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani, Says He Is Working To Ensure World Cup Tickets Are "Affordable To All", and Plans To Appoint A "World Cup Czar"

CBS New York - New York City Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani says he will appoint a "World Cup czar" to push FIFA to lower ticket prices for the 2026 tournament.

Mamdani, a democratic socialist and avid soccer fan, has been openly critical of FIFA's decision to let ticket prices fluctuate based on demand, instead of selling them for a flat rate based on seating, like what was done at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

But as mayor, can he actually do anything about high ticket prices? 

"Yes. This is going to be me using my platform to speak up to FIFA at every opportunity," Mamdani said Sunday on CBS News New York's "The Point with Marcia Kramer."

"The cheapest ticket to the World Cup Final, which will be here in New York City and New Jersey, according to the Croatian Federation, is $4,000," Mamdani said. "That's five times more expensive than it was to go to the Final in Qatar."

Yesterday afternoon Zohran Mamdani, (Jack Mac's boy), walked up to a podium and announced he’s going to make World Cup tickets “affordable for everyone.”

Honestly, I respect the confidence. If there’s one thing New York City mayors are famously known for, it’s their iron grip on international soccer cartel pricing.

World Cup 2026 tickets have been doing what every major event ticket does in 2026- turning grown adults into amateur accountants with tears in their eyes. If you want even just decent seats for a big match, you’re looking at “I could’ve paid off a Toyota Camry” type money.

The group Football Supports Europe contends it would cost fans nearly $7,000 USD to follow their team from its first match to the Final in 2026. Tickets to the previous Final were priced at $380 for an obstructed view seat to $5,850 for one of the best seats in the stadium, according to FIFA.

FIFA is also involved in ticket resales for the upcoming tournament, charging secondary sellers and buyers 15% each.

"I want the price to be something that's affordable. This, you'd have to mortgage your house to be able to afford that for a lot of people. And when it was last in the United States, you could get to the final in California for less than $200. That needs to be what we're looking for," Mamdani said.

Is this guy going to march into FIFA headquarters like it’s the Winter Palace and seize the means of ticket production? 

Is he going to nationalize StubHub and redistribute Section 124 like it’s fuckin bread rations? 

Bettmann. Getty Images.

Is he going to build a collective bucket of tickets where every New Yorker gets one seat, one beer, and one vuvuzela, comrades?

Obviously not. To any of those. 

So Mamdani’s solution is what, exactly?

"I am going to appoint a World Cup czar because, I think at the core of it, I'm so excited at the fact that we are going to be hosting eight games across the World Cup next summer," Mamdani said. "I also understand why soccer fans feel the way they do. They have a right to."

Here's the part I don't think sweet Zohran understands- the mayor of New York City does not control FIFA, he does not control the secondary market, and he does not control the fact that if you list “USA vs. Mexico knockout match” online, scalpers appear like Beetlejuice. 

Say the words “limited supply” three times in a mirror, and a guy named Vinny materializes with 14 burner accounts and one of those Britney Spears headsets.

Giphy Images.

And it's not even his fault because how can you expect somebody who has never worked an actual job in their life to understand how the world works?

Mamdani’s been hammering FIFA over “dynamic pricing,” calling it basically price gouging with a soccer ball. 

Which is honestly fair. He's not wrong. The prices are insane. 

"Demand-based pricing," as they call it, for the biggest tournament on Earth, is like saying, “We’re not robbing you, we’re just letting the market discover your wallet.” But what’s this leverage here exactly? A strongly worded letter? Seriously what is this guy going to do, that's going to make the most corrupt sports organization on the planet bat an eye? 

Especially when you look at the giant elephant in the room here. 

Geography. 

The “New York/New Jersey” World Cup final is at MetLife Stadium. In New Jersey.

So essentially, his pitch is- “I’m the mayor of New York City and I’m going to make tickets cheaper for a tournament whose crown jewel match is across the river in another state, controlled by a global organization that answers to no one, and also the resale market is basically Thunderdome.”

How How is this not performance art?

While he's at it, can Zahran announce that he’s lowering the price of Disney tickets by regulating Orlando?

The socialist jokes write themselves, because the whole thing is classic “I will solve capitalism with vibes.” It’s like a five-year plan drafted on a cocktail napkin-

Year 1- Appoint a World Cup Czar.
Year 2- Demand FIFA “do better.”
Year 3- Establish the "People’s Ticket Commune."
Year 4- Re-education camp for scalpers (just kidding, fucking relax).
Year 5- Everyone sits midfield and pays $12, including the guy who shows up in a Megan Rapinoe jersey and asks what down it is.

And I know, I know, Jack Mac and the other Zohran defenders will say- “He’s just trying to advocate for fans. What's so bad about that?"

Which is great. Love the fans. I’m a fan. 

Fans are the only reason any of this exists.

But if you’re going to promise “affordable for everyone,” you should probably have at least one real lever to pull besides a microphone and the power of suggestion. 

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Because what municipal tool is he using here? A New York City ordinance that binds FIFA? A magical price ceiling that follows tickets onto the secondary market? A rent-stabilized section at midfield? A Ticket Section 8 program? 

As for this guy trying to take on the secondary market? LOL. Forget it. That thing doesn’t get regulated, it's impossible. It gets fed. Thing is a living organism. You cut off one head and two more sprout up, except now they’re “verified sellers”. 

Giphy Images.

This whole thing is adorable and ambitious. I will admit. But it’s also not real.

p.s. - real talk, if Zohran actually does somehow pull this off and somehow gets FIFA to cap prices, crushes the scalpers, and hands every New Yorker a reasonably priced seat, I will personally join the Ticket Redistribution Committee and sing “The Internationale” while wearing a foam Statue of Liberty hat. You have my word. 

But until then, I’m going to assume this is just another politician promising to fix a problem that lives on a different planet, run by people who do not care, using powers he does not have.

Giphy Images.