NEW YORK CITY, New York: New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani is taking his affordability crusade beyond rent and transit, this time to the world's biggest sporting stage. The Democratic socialist is demanding that FIFA lower ticket prices for next year's World Cup and reserve discounted seats for local fans.

In a petition released this week, Mamdani urged soccer's governing body to scrap its plan for "dynamic pricing", a system that sets ticket costs based on demand, similar to airline fares. He likened the model to "price gouging" and called for 15 percent of tickets to be set aside for New Yorkers at reduced rates.

"As a lifelong football, sorry, I mean soccer, fan, I couldn't be more excited," Mamdani said in a social media video, adopting a playful British accent while juggling a ball in his dress shoes. "But are any working-class New Yorkers actually going to be able to watch any of the matches?"

The 2026 tournament will take place across 16 cities in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico, with eight games, including the final, scheduled for MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. FIFA said some tickets will still be offered at fixed prices for "specific fan categories," but details have not been finalized.

Base prices announced last week range from US$60 for early group-stage matches to $6,730 for the final, though the new demand-driven model means costs could climb higher. The plan has already drawn criticism from fans, and Mamdani has added his voice to those objecting.

He also pressed FIFA to cap resale ticket prices, noting that while Mexico has imposed limits on secondary sales, the U.S. and Canada have not. A FIFA spokesperson said Mexico's rules were shaped by the country's strict laws around resales.

Mamdani, who won the Democratic primary by campaigning to freeze rents and make buses free, framed his latest fight as part of a broader push against the rising costs squeezing New Yorkers.

"Pope John Paul II said, ‘Of all the unimportant things, football is the most important,'" he told reporters. "This is part and parcel of a larger affordability crisis in this city. Once again, it will be working people who will be left behind."