NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani made waves last year when he ran for mayor on a platform of affordability and addressing the rising costs of living—now, he’s brought the same affordability mindset to women’s soccer, partnering with NJ/NY Gotham FC to provide 1,000 $5 tickets to an upcoming match.
The $5 tickets sold out in under an hour, although there are plenty of regular tickets still available.
Mamdani, who is an avid Arsenal fan, has engaged with the NYC soccer community before. As part of his mayoral
campaign, he hosted a free soccer tournament called the “Cost of Living Classic” last summer with NYCFooty, the large recreational soccer organization where he has also been a player.
In the fall, he announced a campaign called “Game Over Greed” focused on addressing the affordability of the 2026 FIFA World Cup . The campaign called on FIFA to not use dynamic pricing, cap resale prices, and set aside tickets for residents. Several World Cup matches, including the final, will be played in New Jersey, meaning there will be a large focus on the sport this summer in the New Jersey and New York areas.
Mamdani posted a video on Sunday afternoon announcing that he and Gotham were partnering to provide a thousand $5 tickets to the club’s May 9 match against the Boston Legacy. “We’re teaming up with the nation’s two-time champions to make soccer more affordable for everyone,” he said.
In the video, he was wearing the club’s recently debuted third kit, a white and orange kit featuring the Statue of Liberty.
“This is the summer of soccer,” Mamdani said. “Grab your tickets and I’ll see you there.”
Gotham has historically struggled with attendance, partially due to their home field location in Harrison, New Jersey, at Sports Illustrated Stadium.
They will play the “Queens Classic” at Citi Field this summer against the Washington Spirit on July 15, a rare home match played within New York City.
Gotham recently won a 3-0 home match against Bay FC, their second win of the season after a difficult start to the year. They will play again on Wednesday, with a mid-week away match against the Chicago Stars.
