In what is expected to be the most expensive World Cup ever staged, with tickets for the final on 19 July reaching as high as €30,000, some American administrations have attempted to distinguish themselves. New Jersey is one example. As reported by The Athletic, the FIFA World Cup 2026 NYNJ Host Committee (the body created specifically in New Jersey to manage the event) has made a total of 770 complimentary entries available for World Cup matches to its residents.
A move that mirrors the one promoted by New York’s new mayor, Zohran Mamdani, who, after a meeting with FIFA president Giovanni Infantino, secured 1,000 tickets for World Cup matches at $50 each (around €43), to be distributed via lottery among city residents, and a return bus journey provided free of charge to attend the match.
Previously there had been some tension, with New Jersey complaining to FIFA about being excluded from Mamdani’s policy despite matches being played in its state, with all the related issues. “It is not new that FIFA does not concern itself with the costs for New Jersey residents,” the state governor Mikie Sherrill had said. The agreement has also helped ease tensions. The initiative was made possible through ticket donations from partners of the organising committee, Uber and Hackensack Meridian Health (a non-profit hospital and healthcare network).
The tickets, all non-transferable to avoid cases of resale, are valid for seven of the World Cup matches to be played at MetLife Stadium (New Jersey) — excluding the final. Of these, 500 will be distributed among local youth football teams, families of members of the New Jersey National Guard currently deployed on overseas missions, patients at Hackensack Hospital participating in the Make-A-Wish programme (a programme created to fulfil the wishes of children and adolescents with serious illnesses), and rescue workers in Bergen County in New Jersey involved in World Cup-related operations.
Another 200 will be distributed again through Hackensack Hospital, partner of the organising committee, to nurses, healthcare workers, paediatric patients, children with serious illnesses and their families. The final 70 tickets will be allocated to those supporting small local businesses through the “Welcome World Rewards” programme, with recipients selected by visiting local businesses during the tournament and taking part in public viewing events and community initiatives during the competition.
An initiative introduced by New Jersey that aims to make a controversial World Cup, from a ticketing perspective, more inclusive. “We want the World Cup experience to be accessible and affordable for as many New Jersey residents as possible,” Mikie Sherrill said. “I will always fight to ensure that no resident is left behind.” At MetLife Stadium in Rutherford, which normally hosts the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets, successful applicants will be able to attend matches and training sessions of some of the most anticipated national teams at the World Cup, such as Brazil and Morocco. The New Jersey venue, as noted, has also been awarded the final.