NYC mayor Mamdani, Gotham FC partner to offer $5 tickets in affordability push

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani partnered with Gotham FC to promote 1,000 tickets priced at $5 for the club's May 9 match against Boston Legacy. Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images Share articleNew York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has extended his campaign of making soccer more affordable by partnering with two-time NWSL Champions Gotham FC. The mayor on Sunday afternoon shared with his 11.7 million followers across Instagram and Twitter that his administration and Gotham were releasing 1,000 tickets priced at $5 for the club’s May 9 match against Boston Legacy at Sports Illustrated Stadium. The tickets sold out in less than an hour, a club spokesperson told The Athletic. Standard-priced tickets remain for the match, starting at $22 as of Sunday night. “We’re teaming up with the nation’s two-time champions to make soccer more affordable for everyone,” Mamdani said while wearing Gotham’s third kit in a promotional video announcing the drop. He concluded, “This is the summer of soccer. Grab your tickets. I’ll see you there.” Mamdani, a lifelong Arsenal fan who grew up playing the sport, has been a staunch advocate for the game and keeping it affordable since assuming office in January. In the fall, he launched a “Game over Greed” campaign calling on FIFA to commit to not using dynamic pricing for men’s World Cup tickets, to place a cap on resale prices and to set 15 percent of tickets aside for residents at a discount. “As a lifelong soccer fan, I have grown up with memories of the World Cup, whether watching on TV or being there myself,” Mamdani told The Athletic in October. “I went in 2010 to South Africa. I know what this tournament represents, which is the most popular tournament in the world, and also what it could be, which is a celebration of the world’s game. “Yet these kinds of policies from FIFA are ones that threaten to price out the very people that make this game so special. In our fight for making the most expensive city in America affordable, it’s a fight that is not limited just to housing, childcare and public transit. It also extends to the moments that give New Yorkers such joy, which will be the World Cup next year.” FIFA proceeded with its dynamic pricing model, despite Mamdani’s efforts. Earlier this week, four resale tickets for the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium hit the market for more than $2.2 million each. Gotham has leaned heavily into its New York City roots this year, with the partnership with Mamdani only the latest example. The team released its first “third kit,” dubbed Lady Liberty, which features a giant image of the Statue of Liberty in orange and blue — the colors of the New York City flag. The team is also hoping to set an attendance record on July 15, when Gotham will become the first women’s professional sports team to play a match at Citi Field. The team will face the Washington Spirit in the “Queens City Classic,” which will be the first NWSL match played in New York City proper. The team is also hoping to capitalize on the expected momentum from the World Cup final just four days later. After a sluggish start to the season, Gotham is fresh off a much-needed 3-0 win against Bay FC in Harrison, N.J., on Saturday. The team opened its season against Boston on March 14, with that match being its only win until Saturday. The 2025 NWSL champions have a 2-2-2 record. The team next heads to Chicago, where it will face the Chicago Stars on Wednesday, before returning to Sports Illustrated Stadium to take on Racing Louisville on Saturday. It then faces Boston on May 9, with Mamdani likely to be in attendance. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms