NEW YORK (BLOOMBERG) -- New York City knows how to host a major event and the World Cup will be another opportunity to highlight the culture of the largest US city.
That’s the message Mayor Zohran Mamdani and Governor Kathy Hochul reiterated on Thursday, amid concerns about how the region will handle an onslaught of soccer fans next week.
“We’ve got this,” Hochul said at a press conference. “This is what we do best. Come to the city — celebrate, otherwise you’re missing the excitement and the energy.”
Mamdani is declaring each match day — eight total at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey beginning June 13 — a gridlock alert day, which urges people to take subways, walk or bike rather than drive in Manhattan. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority, which oversees the city’s transit network, will run additional subway trains to accommodate the increased ridership.
Mamdani and Hochul during a news conference on 2026 FIFA World Cup transportation in New York on June 4.Adam Gray/Bloomberg
There will be no truck deliveries allowed between 60th Street and 30th Street on game days six hours before the match and three hours after. On 42nd Street, only FIFA shuttle buses, MTA buses and emergency vehicles will be allowed.
“We are ready for this moment because we are New York,” Mamdani said. “We know how to put on big events from the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade to the NBA Finals — let’s go Knicks — to the UN General Assembly. We have done it before and we will do it again.”
Officials have been preparing to accommodate the anticipated surge. NYPD officers will work 12-hour shifts, with increased patrols on subway platforms and at the city’s major transportation hubs of Penn Station, Grand Central Terminal and the Port Authority. Local and state officials have been working with federal counter terrorism experts to enhance safety, including using more drones.
NJ Transit anticipates it will carry 40,000 fans to each World Cup match at MetLife, with the first game to be held on June 13. New Jersey officials have asked regular commuters to adjust their work schedules or work from home on match days.
New Jersey-bound service out of New York Penn Station will be restricted to World Cup ticket holders on match days for four hours before a game. That would require commuters to return to New Jersey on a later train or to take other public transit options to get home.
The World Cup is expected to bring more than 1.2 million visitors to the New York City region for the soccer tournament, with an economic impact of $3.3 billion.
While the World Cup is a major global competition, New York City routinely takes on large-scale events. It hosts the US Open Tennis Championships every year in Queens, the New York City Marathon and the United Nations General Assembly. It’s transit network of subways, buses and commuter rail lines carries more than six million weekday riders.
Hochul and Mamdani are asking those in the city to be patient with crowds, security lines and more vehicles on the road.
“You will see more traffic and maybe some more delays and some frustration,” Hochul said. “But try to turn that into a sense of celebration, that where else would you rather be than right here, right now?”
More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com.
