New York City to host free outdoor World Cup viewing sites

[NEW YORK] World Cup fans will get their chance to watch matches at five free outdoor sites across New York City, in a push to make the event more affordable.

New York Governor Kathy Hochul is directing US$20 million to cover the cost of the fan sites, which will be spread across the five boroughs. Multi-day viewing areas will be set up at the Rockefeller Center in Manhattan, the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, the Bronx Terminal Market, Brooklyn Bridge Park, and Staten Island’s professional baseball field.

Hochul and New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani touted the plan on Monday (Apr 27), saying it will allow soccer enthusiasts who cannot afford the high ticket prices to participate in the event.

“The world’s game truly brings the world together,” Mamdani said alongside Hochul at the ballfield on Staten Island that will host that borough’s fan zone. “And 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.”

The announcement comes as fans have expressed frustration over the high cost of attending the games. New Jersey Transit has raised train fares for World Cup matches to a staggering US$150 round trip, while the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, which oversees Boston’s transit system, has started selling US$80 round-trip World Cup train tickets to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough.

The World Cup begins on Jun 11, with games being held in 11 US cities and five others in Canada and Mexico. New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium will host eight World Cup matches, including the final. The tournament is expected to bring more than 1.2 million visitors to the New York City region and provide an economic impact of US$3.3 billion, according to the New York New Jersey Host Committee.

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“Met Stadium may hold 80,000 people, but this moment belongs to millions of New Yorkers, and how we take advantage of this once in a generation opportunity,” Hochul said.

Fans will be able to access tickets to the free viewing events in the next couple of weeks at the host committee’s website, Alex Lasry, the committee’s CEO, told reporters.

The US Tennis Center in Queens will be able to accommodate about 10,000 fans, with the other sites each holding 5,000 to 10,000 people, Lasry said. The free viewing locations allow thousands of soccer aficionados – who may be priced out of World Cup tickets at Met Life – the opportunity to watch and enjoy the matches in a public space. BLOOMBERG