In the lead-up to the FIFA World Cup final this June, Mayor Zohran Mamdani‘s administration is closing blocks outside of 50 schools to vehicle traffic at select times for soccer-related events, his office announced on Monday.
The “Soccer Streets” events — a partnership between the city and the open streets nonprofit Street Lab, as well as the yogurt brand Chobani — will include activities such as pickup games, running drills, and painting team flags, according to City Hall.
The “pop-up activation” events have been running since May 1 and will continue through the last day of school on June 26; however, Mamdani’s office did not immediately specify the days or hours during which they are taking place.
The mayor, in a statement, said the events are meant to ensure “every kid in this city” has the opportunity to “experience the joy of the game.”
“Soccer Streets takes that energy directly into our neighborhoods — closing streets to cars, opening them to play and making sure this celebration isn’t reserved for people who can afford a ticket,” Mamdani said. “Open Streets is one of the best tools we have to reclaim public space for the public, and these activations are another step toward bringing the World Cup to our city’s young people.”
The final games of the World Cup are being hosted across the Hudson River at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. The matches there will take place over eight dates between mid-June and mid-July.
Mamdani framed the announcement as part of his efforts to make the World Cup experience accessible to all New Yorkers who cannot afford the exorbitant ticket and transportation prices to make it to the games in person. The city will also host one free “fan zone” event in each of the five boroughs, where New Yorkers can watch the games together without paying.
“The World Cup is about more than the games in the stadium,” said Maya Handa, the city’s World Cup czar, in a statement. “It’s about sparking the joy of the game in young people and bringing communities together around this historic celebration. Every borough will participate and every neighborhood should benefit from the World Cup coming to our city.”
Schools interested in participating in Soccer Streets can contact Streets Lab, according to Mamdani’s office. It was not immediately clear which schools have already taken part or signed up to host the events.
The events are part of the city Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Open Streets for Schools program, in which public schools can request that streets directly outside their campuses be closed to vehicle traffic. The closures allow schools without gymnasiums to give students space for outdoor programming, recess, assemblies, and other activities.
“Open Streets for Schools hold a special promise for the future of the city,” said Street Lab Executive Director Leslie Davol.
“We’re seeing students, families, teachers, and neighbors, working side-by-side to transform streets into places to gather, bringing learning from out behind the walls, and inspiring the whole community,” she added. “It’s a grassroots movement, rising from the ground up and from the boroughs in.”