New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul announced free World Cup watch parties and festivities across the city's five boroughs for fans who cannot afford match tickets. The announcement was made at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park.

"Every fan should be able to watch the greatest tournament on earth without dipping into their savings," Mamdani said. The official World Cup fan events were not originally planned to be free, and Mamdani and Hochul worked together to ensure that they would be.

"New York isn't just hosting the World Cup, New York is the World Cup," Hochul said. New York State has provided more than $20 million to cover costs for World Cup celebration activities in the city, officials said. New York City is set to spend $90 million on the celebrations.

The free events will be staged at Rockefeller Center in Manhattan; the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens; Brooklyn Bridge Park in Brooklyn; a shopping center near Yankee Stadium in the Bronx; and a minor league baseball stadium in Staten Island. The scheduled free fan events include the Queens Group Stage HQ at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows from June 11 to 27; the Fan Village at Rockefeller Center from July 6 to 19; the Bronx Fan Zone at Bronx Terminal Market from June 13 to 14; the Brooklyn Fan Zone at Brooklyn Bridge Park from June 13 to July 19; and the Staten Island Fan Zone at Staten Island University Hospital Community Park from June 29 to July 2.

Group-stage matches for Brazil, France, Germany, England and other nations begin on June 13. Roughly 1.2 million visitors are expected to descend on the New York metro region for eight World Cup games at MetLife Stadium.

Mamdani signed an emergency order blocking new permits for special events on city parkland from mid-June to July 19. New York Police Department officials raised concerns about manpower during the tournament, which runs from mid-June to July 19. Transit officials have warned New York and New Jersey commuters to work from home if they can.