Fact Check: Did Zohran Mamdani promise to make FIFA World Cup tickets 'available to all'?

NEW YORK CITY, NY: Zohran Mamdani stepped into the role of New York City mayor in January 2026, jumping right into his promise to make the city a more affordable place to live.

Not wasting any time, he signed executive orders to target companies that charge people “junk fees” and employ sneaky subscription traps.

Online, people started joking about a quote that supposedly came from Mamdani, teasing that a New York mayor can’t do much about FIFA ticket prices anyway.

Claim: Mamdani said that he would be making World Cup tickets 'available to all'

Recently, Mamdani signed two executive orders: to combat businesses’ deceptive use of junk fees and crack down on subscription tricks and traps that drain money from New Yorkers and make essential goods and services less affordable.

A rumor spread that claimed Mamdani also promised to make FIFA World Cup tickets "available to all."

The FIFA World Cup soccer tournament will be taking place in the US, Canada, and Mexico in the summer of 2026. 

Many on social media made fun of Mamdani's alleged quote, saying the New York mayor had no power to influence FIFA ticket prices. 

Fact Check: No, Mamdani did not specifically state he was making World Cup tickets 'available to all'

Mamdani didn’t come out and say he was making World Cup tickets “available to all,” but he definitely pushed FIFA to lower ticket prices and criticized their “dynamic pricing” policy.

Dynamic pricing means a company changes its prices depending on things like demand, supply, or other factors. So, prices go up and down, sometimes by the hour.

He also made it clear that he wants the World Cup and other events to be something every New Yorker can actually experience.

Mamdani made the comments about FIFA's pricing policies at a news conference on Jan 5, 2026, where he discussed his executive orders.

A journalist asked him how the mayor's team would tackle dynamic pricing. Mamdani replied, “And I continue to voice my opposition to the use of dynamic pricing here for the soon-to-come World Cup and the necessity of it being a more affordable experience for all. And I look forward to the conversations, ones that have already begun, both internally and externally, in making that case.”

Mamdani has been critical of World Cup ticket prices throughout his 2025 mayoral campaign.

World Cup games are going to be held in a New Jersey stadium, but New York City is expected to play a big role in hosting an influx of tourists and related events.

According to FIFA's website, the city will host official events and even a "fan village." 

Thus, Mamdani didn’t come right out and promise World Cup tickets for everyone.

What he did say was that he wants all New Yorkers to have a shot at experiencing the World Cup, and he pushed FIFA to keep tickets affordable.