NYC Democratic Mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani won his nomination on a pledge to make New York City affordable. Now, he is targeting FIFA and their dynamic ticket pricing ahead of the 2026 World Cup, partly hosted in the United States.
His new petition, named “Game Over Greed” is calling on FIFA to:
- Set aside 15% of match tickets for residents to purchase at a discount.
- Remove dynamic pricing
- Place a cap on ticket resale prices
What is dynamic pricing?
FIFA are, for the first time, introducing dynamic ticket pricing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. This means that FIFA can change match ticket prices based on demand. Mamdani believes that ‘dynamic pricing’ is just a fancy term for price gouging, locking out working-class fans in the US from attending games.
In a promotional video for his petition, Mamdani says that “[FIFA] are going to figure out in real time how much they can get away with for charging a ticket” [sic]
Mamdani’s final line on his petition’s website states: “It’s time we put the game above greed and host a World Cup all New Yorkers can afford to enjoy.”
Last year, there was a large public outcry in the UK over dynamic pricing on the Oasis return tour. Tickets advertised for £150, but when fans finally reached the front of the queue on Ticketmaster, the very same tickets were now priced at £350.
Purchasers of these tickets can then re-sell the tickets through FIFA’s official platform with no price cap.
In the previous three World Cup competitions, Category 4 seating, the cheapest seating in a stadium, was always reserved for residents of the host country. FIFA currently has no plans to reserve seating for American residents for the 2026 World Cup.
The 2026 World Cup final is set to be played in the MetLife stadium in New Jersey, just thirty minutes from Manhattan.
Who is Zohran Mamdani?
Zohran Mamdani is a member of the New York State Assembly. He won the New York Mayoral Democratic primary in June 2025, so he will run as the Democratic Party’s Mayoral nominee in the November 2025 election.
He is a Democratic Socialist who ran his grassroots campaign with the pledge of making New York City affordable for its working-class residents. He is also a football fan and supports Arsenal.
Mamdani gained a huge following from his social media campaigns, especially on TikTok.
