Zohran Mamdani on Wednesday unveiled a petition urging FIFA to abandon dynamic pricing for 2026 World Cup tickets, reinstate a cap on resale prices and reserve 15 percent of tickets for local residents at a discounted rate.
The Queens assemblyman and mayoral candidate, a self-described Democratic socialist, debuted the petition — dubbed "Game Over Greed" — at a rainy press conference at St. James Park in the Bronx and said the move is aimed at protecting working-class fans from what he called price gouging. The petition went live Tuesday night and had drawn thousands of signatures by Wednesday, campaign officials said.
Mamdani said FIFA's shift to dynamic pricing, which allows ticket prices to fluctuate with demand, risks putting prime seats out of reach for many fans. He cited estimates that dynamic pricing could drive some 2026 match tickets as high as $6,700 — roughly four times the price of some final-game seats in 2022 — and argued FIFA has prioritized profit over access.
"For far too long [FIFA] has looked upon these World Cups as opportunities for profit, as opposed to opportunities to extend this to the people who make this game so special," Mamdani said. "My commitment is to bring the world’s game to the people. This is part and parcel of a larger affordability crisis in this city. Whether we’re talking about soccer or talking about rent, it’s how do we put working people before the greed of corporations?"
Supporters at the event held signs backing the push and linked Mamdani's ticket plan to his broader platform, which includes proposals such as free childcare, free buses and rent freezes. Mamdani noted the timing of his announcement came the same morning FIFA opened registration for its Visa World Cup presale and a week after the organization confirmed it would use dynamic pricing for certain tickets.
FIFA awarded the 2026 World Cup to a U.S.-Canada-Mexico joint bid, with several matches, including the final, scheduled for MetLife Stadium in the New York/New Jersey region. President Donald Trump has publicly expressed enthusiasm about the region co-hosting the tournament.
Mamdani also criticized what he described as FIFA's corporate orientation, noting the organization recently opened an office in Trump Tower and reported record revenues, and said those facts reinforced his argument that the governing body is focused on profit rather than fans.
Not all advocates agree that price caps or local reservation requirements would help consumers. Dana McClean, vice president and co-founder of the Coalition for Ticket Fairness, told reporters that imposing caps can push transactions into unregulated markets, potentially making purchases less safe. McClean argued that allowing resale platforms to set their own prices can ensure safer, regulated transactions and that tickets will find secondary markets regardless of price limits.
Mamdani’s petition seeks three specific changes: an end to dynamic pricing for the event, reinstatement of limits on how much tickets may be resold for above face value, and a guaranteed allocation of 15 percent of tickets for local residents at below-market prices. The campaign said it will continue to collect signatures and press FIFA and organizers to change course before the 2026 tournament.
FIFA announced the dynamic-pricing approach and opened ticket-registration windows as organizers prepare for matches across multiple U.S. venues. The petition frames the issue as part of a broader municipal affordability debate in New York City as Mamdani campaigns for mayor.
The petition and the accompanying public push represent one of several early policy stances Mamdani has used to connect local economic concerns to national or international decisions that affect New Yorkers. The campaign did not indicate any immediate mechanism to compel FIFA to change its pricing policy, and organizers of the tournament maintain authority over ticketing decisions.
