Zohran Mamdani talks soccer: World Cup ticket prices and the Premier League title race

Zohran Mamdani is smiling, but this time his cause for excitement has little to do with the New York City mayoral race.

“God bless you, Ruben Amorim!” he says.

Mamdani, the Democrat nominee, is two weeks out from the ballot which will determine whether he sees off competition from independent candidate Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat who lost out to him in the primary, and Republican Curtis Sliwa. Polls consistently place Mamdani, a 34-year-old New York state assemblyman, as the frontrunner in a three-horse race. But on Sunday evening, his mind briefly wandered from politics to the battle to win the Premier League title.

He is pleased with Amorim, the head coach of Manchester United, because they unexpectedly won 2-1 away to reigning champions and arch-rivals Liverpool earlier in the day. This was good news for Liverpool’s title challengers Arsenal, the team Mamdani has followed since he was a child and are now three points clear at the top of the table.

“Four defeats in a row for Liverpool,” he grins. “Beautiful.”

Unusually for a New York City mayoral candidate, Mamdani has chosen to ingratiate soccer issues into his campaign.

On Sunday night, he attended a community soccer tournament his campaign called the ‘Cost of Living Classic’, with his fans sporting campaign-issued blue, white and orange scarves.

In September, he launched a “Game Over Greed” petition. This called on FIFA, soccer’s world governing body, to reverse its dynamic pricing policy for the 2026 men’s World Cup, which will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico next June and July. It also asked FIFA to reinstate a cap on ticket resales for the tournament, and set aside 15 per cent of tickets for local residents at a discount.

FIFA’s first batch of tickets went on sale over the past month, with prices ranging from $60 for the cheapest group-stage seats to $6,730 (just over £5,000) for the most expensive tickets for the final at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, a few miles west of New York City. However, those prices were subject to variable pricing, meaning they adjust based on demand. FIFA raised ticket prices for nine World Cup games within the first day of tickets going on sale. In a statement in September, FIFA said its pricing model reflects existing market pricing in the United States for major entertainment and sporting events.

Mamdani’s interest in the issue is multifaceted.

Firstly, he is a genuine soccer fan. Campaign aides say he catches moments of Arsenal games in the car on the way to events. His speechwriter Julian Gerson says references to other leading soccer players in one address were replaced by Mamdani, who wanted to include Bukayo Saka and William Saliba because they are among his favorites in the Arsenal squad. In a diverse city, Mamdani’s personal love of soccer also plays well with younger cohorts, who are key to his support, as well as being another tool to connect with immigrant communities across New York’s five boroughs.

Born in the east African country of Uganda, Mamdani moved with his family to New York at the age of seven, and then fell in love with Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side, which won three Premier League titles between 1998 and 2004.

“My uncle is an Arsenal fan,” Mamdani explains. “He introduced me. Wenger was one of the first managers to really bring African players into the EPL. I grew up with Kolo Toure, Kanu, Alex Song, Lauren and Emmanuel Eboue. I had the Invincibles (the Arsenal team which won the 2003-04 Premier League title without losing any of the 38 matches) as magnets on my fridge. I loved David Seaman, Sylvain Wiltord, all these guys. I’ve gone to a few Arsenal games, many with my uncle. It really has been a big part of my life and my identity.”

In the context of the mayoral race, soccer and its ticket pricing are relevant to New York because eight World Cup matches will take place at MetLife Stadium, even if FIFA’s host city agreement is with both New York City and neighboring New Jersey. It is also becoming an increasingly political matter, with U.S. President Donald Trump twice floating the possibility of moving already-scheduled tournament games to different cities.

And with his campaign against FIFA’s pricing, Mamdani has identified a political opportunity to tie his affordability and cost-of-living platform to an event that will dominate next summer across the United States and beyond.

“As a lifelong soccer fan, I have grown up with memories of the World Cup; whether watching on TV or being there myself,” he says. “I went in 2010 to South Africa. I know what this tournament represents, which is the most popular tournament in the world, and also what it could be, which is a celebration of the world’s game.

“Yet these kinds of policies from FIFA are ones that threaten to price out the very people that make this game so special. In our fight for making the most expensive city in America affordable, it’s a fight that is not limited just to housing, childcare and public transit. It also extends to the moments that give New Yorkers such joy, which will be the World Cup next year.”

Mamdani acknowledges that he is facing an uphill battle to influence FIFA’s policy, although he points out the organization has now confirmed it will retain ring-fenced allocations set aside for specific fan categories at a fixed price. FIFA has not, however, clarified how many tickets will be set aside or what the fixed price point may be. Mamdani, who did not say whether he has had any meetings with FIFA since he launched his petition, says he wants clarity on this matter.

“That is only part of what we are demanding,” he says. “We are demanding the end of dynamic pricing for the World Cup. But it shows that they (FIFA) are paying attention, and also that there’s still more work to be done.

“I’ve spoken to a number of New Yorkers who tried to buy tickets, and it wasn’t only an issue of just how unaffordable the tickets were, but also just the mess of that system. There’s a desperate need for more clarity and for more of a commitment that this be a tournament for people who already call the city home.”

He describes some of the more extreme resale prices as “absurd”. He adds: “FIFA is clearly trying to pursue its initial goal of maximising revenue and looking to take every step such that they could do so.”

FIFA might argue that revenues from the World Cup are redistributed across the global game, funding soccer federations which require this financial support to function.

Mamdani counters: “I don’t think a stable future for soccer can be built upon the denial of working-class fans being able to watch the game themselves. The more you look into where these revenues are spent, the thinner some of the arguments are that are made by FIFA.”

What about those who question whether it is the place of politicians to involve themselves in sporting matters?

He bristles: “Sport has been so commercialized and corporatized that fans have become viewed as a commodity. It is the place of leaders to step up when we see profit as the only motive, to an extent where so many who used to attend these very events can now not even conceive of doing so.

“What I’m asking for in my petition is all precedented. This is how FIFA has operated in the past. These are demands to simply return to the ways in which they engaged with previous World Cups. We have become numb to the continued commodification of the game, where asking FIFA to just do what they’re doing in Mexico (where ticket resale is prohibited) is seen as an audacious request.”

He adds: “So much of what we celebrate about the atmosphere of a soccer stadium is tied to the affordability of that same stadium. We talk about cauldrons of noise becoming libraries. That is an economic story.

“It is a horrible experience as a fan to try to buy tickets. When I tried to buy tickets to the Cricket World Cup last year, which was taking place on Long Island, it was unbelievable how difficult it was and how much you had to engage with scalping as a fact of life.”

Would he be as prepared to make this challenge to FIFA a broader mission beyond soccer? Would he say the same to the NBA’s New York Knicks or NFL’s New York Jets?

“Absolutely. This is a vision of a city where New Yorkers can do more than just struggle, where they can also enjoy themselves and do so without having to mortgage their dreams in order to be a spectator.

“We’ve seen a number of artists respond to the backlash of dynamic pricing by ending it for their own concerts. It’s time that FIFA follows that lead and that we make it clear that we will explore legislative solutions and interventions so that we continue to have a place for working-class fans.”

Following Mamdani’s petition, The Athletic reached out to the offices of mayors in every host city to see if any would echo the specifics of his complaints. None did. So why does Mamdani think this is so important?

“I can’t speak to why other mayors haven’t spoken to this directly,” he says. “I can tell you I’ve had a number of New Yorkers reach out to me, some of whom don’t share my politics on many other issues, who’ve been heartened by the understanding that it is actually a political question whether we price New Yorkers out of sporting events, out of cultural events.

“There’s been this growing sense of resignation that when your favorite team or your favorite artist comes to town, you will either have to put the money you would have spent on rent towards that ticket, or you will have to watch online.”

If Mamdani wins the election, challenges may come not only from FIFA but also from Trump. The U.S. president has called him a communist — Mamdani describes himself as a democratic socialist — warning that New York may see federal funding cuts if he becomes mayor. Is Mamdani concerned about this?

“I think his threats are inevitable,” Mamdani says. “The question is how we respond to them. We’ve seen this president’s policies are ones that not only endanger the ability of anyone looking to plan out their visit to this city but they’re also ones that have led many to question whether they would be safe in the city, specifically regarding ICE (the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency).

“This (World Cup) is a moment where we are welcoming the world. Yet I’ve had many reach out to me to ask if there will be ICE agents outside of the stadium or, ‘Will I have to carry my documentation on me at all times?’ These are the kinds of conditions the president is making right now in New York City and across this country.”

During this summer’s Club World Cup in the U.S., FIFA received complaints from fans about alleged sightings of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and ICE officials at stadiums hosting matches. In a statement to The Athletic in September, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson said that despite the reports made to FIFA, neither ICE nor CPB conducted enforcement, describing it as “another case of fear-mongering.”

Mamdani has also urged the Trump administration to facilitate access for those seeking to attend next year’s World Cup and make clear that visitors are welcome. He says that New York City is anticipating a $4billion drop in tourism revenues “this year alone.”

He says: “I am running to lead this city to make clear that this is a city not just of the world, where 40 percent of us were born outside of this country, myself included, but one that welcomes the world. We need to do everything in our power to make that message clear to each and every person.”

Should Mamdani win power, he says he will appoint a World Cup czar in the Mayor’s office to assist the New York/New Jersey host committee and FIFA.

“We want this to be a tournament that has a legacy for New Yorkers, not just those who come to visit us for a few weeks or a month,” he says. “That means using this as an opportunity to expedite permitting reform that we have here in New York City, so we can have more outdoor events and live streaming of these matches, and bring the tournament to schoolchildren across the five boroughs.

“I remember when I’ve gone to games, one of the biggest stresses is how long are you waiting for the train or the bus? There’s real work to be done to ensure that that is a seamless experience for anyone.”

Now we know how he wants to fix FIFA and New York City, is there anything Mamdani would change about soccer itself?

“I’ve become a hater of VAR (video assistant referees),” he sighs. “Just the delays. I like the goal-line technology, it’s quick, but I’m, ‘VAR out’.”

And what about his beloved Arsenal? Is this finally going to be his team’s year after three consecutive years of second-placed finishes in the Premier League?

“There were a lot of jokes when we won the (Democrat) primary about how unexpected a feeling it must be for an Arsenal fan,” he says.

“Every year, I’m just as confident. Every year after disappointment is one of hope. But this one will be different.”

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