Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani was in attendance at the New York/New Jersey Stadium for Brazil vs Morocco and was there for free.
Mamdani is a well-known fan of the sport and was spotted alongside his wife Rama Duwaji for the Group C thriller.
While the First Lady had to pay for her own ticket to the game, Mamdani was able to enter free of charge and shall be allowed to do so for all games held there.
Why Zohran Mamdani will be at World Cup games for free
Given the controversy around the prices fans have had to pay for tickets to World Cup games, seeing Mamdani attend them for free may not come as welcome news.
However, spokesperson Dora Pekac has explained the situation, saying: “It would be unprecedented for host city leadership, particularly a mayor with such international recognition, to not participate in World Cup matches.”
The Mayor of NYC has a “contractual obligation with the New York/New Jersey 2026 World Cup Host Committee” to watch games at the MetLife Stadium, although there is no confirmation as to how many of those he will be there for.
This comes after he recently revealed that he paid a large fee to watch the New York Knicks on game three of the NBA finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
What is that one opinion you have that will raise the eyebrows of others?
Which World Cup games are being played at the New York/New Jersey Stadium?
There will be eight games in total that are played at the MetLife Stadium, including the World Cup final on 19 July.
As well as Brazil vs Morocco and the grand finale, Senegal’s games against France and Norway will be hosted there.
Ecuador vs Germany will also take place, as will England’s game against Panama before we move into the knockout rounds.
The winners of Group I will play against one of the best third-placed teams from Group C/D/F/G or H, one round of 16 fixture and then the big one.
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