Mayor Zohran Mamdani risked the wrath of New Yorkers on Saturday when he was spotted soaking up the World Cup action at MetLife allegedly for free.
The mayor, who ran a World Cup ticket lottery for New Yorkers, attended Brazil’s opener against Morocco in the highly-anticipated Group C thriller at MetLife Stadium.
Mamdani was joined by New York Governor Kathy Hochul in a luxury suite at the stadium as New York and New Jersey co-hosted the showdown as one of the 11 American host cities for the World Cup, which kicked off on Thursday across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
However, the mayor’s attendance at the game sparked outrage in the Big Apple after it emerged that he managed to score his ticket for free.
Despite tickets for the soccer extravaganza costing fans thousands of dollars, the first-year mayor reportedly didn’t pay a dime, according to the New York Post.
He is said to have snatched up multiple exclusive tickets to games throughout the tournament, which ordinarily would have cost an eye-watering amount.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani reported received a free ticket for a World Cup game at MetLife
The socialist attended Brazil’s blockbuster fixture against Morocco on Saturday
The Daily Mail has contacted the mayor’s office for confirmation.
‘Given the unique nature of the World Cup and the once-in-a-generation opportunity for New York City to serve as a host city, the mayor will attend select matches at [MetLife Stadium] in his official capacity to perform official functions as the chief executive of the host city,’ Mamdani spokesperson Dora Pekec told the Post.
Pekec reportedly said that Mamdani has a ‘contractual obligation with the New York/New Jersey 2026 World Cup Host Committee’ to attend the matches.
However, his wife, Rama Duwaji, who attended the game with her husband, is said to have paid for her own ticket.
As of gameday, the cheapest tickets for the blockbuster matchup were listed for as much as $1,600 on resale sites.
Mamdani’s free pass sparked fury among New Yorkers who called out the Socialist Democrat for bypassing the astronomical prices.
‘Should have given the nice seats to some poor people who couldn’t afford them, because socialism,’ one social media user wrote.
‘A socialist watching millionaires running around in the most capitalist sporting tournament. Poetic irony,’ added another.
Mamdani was spotted alongside New York Governor Kathy Hochul in a suite
Mamdani has a ‘contractual obligation with the New York/New Jersey 2026 World Cup Host Committee’
Meanwhile, a third questioned: ‘But I’m sure he’s going to distribute them to people less fortunate than him. Right?’
The mayor also came under fire earlier this week when he revealed how much he had paid to secure a ticket to the New York Knicks’ Game 3 of the NBA Finals against the San Antonio Spurs.
On Monday, Mamdani had told reporters in Central Park that he had paid for his own ticket to the game, shelling out just shy of $1,000 for his spot.
Not every New Yorker was convinced, though, with some wondering whether some sort of mayoral discount had been applied.
‘I bought my tickets for nearly $1,000 from Madison Square Garden,’ he said. ‘I’ll be going to tonight’s Game 3, and I’ll be standing for the duration of the game.’
He insisted that he purchased his ticket ‘directly from the organization itself’, but on Monday afternoon tickets in the same section were being sold on resale sites for as much as $4,900.
That said, Mamdani is a regular in the nosebleeds at MSG, and has previously been spotted at Knicks games in a similar section.
