New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has publicly challenged the Trump administration’s immigration policies, arguing they clash with the spirit of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The tournament, co-hosted by the US, Canada, and Mexico, is set to bring matches to New York City, and Mamdani says current visa restrictions are making that hosting role look more like a contradiction than a celebration.
On June 8-9, 2026, Mamdani took aim at what he described as the denial of visas for journalists and coaches from certain countries tied to the tournament. He also criticized the issuance of single-day visas to some national teams, a move he called fundamentally at odds with the World Cup’s ethos of global inclusion.
A mayor built for this fight
Mamdani was sworn in as New York City’s 112th mayor on January 1, 2026, making history as the city’s first Muslim mayor, first Asian American mayor, and the first foreign-born mayor since 1892.
When Mamdani says “football wouldn’t exist without immigrants,” he’s drawing on both the sport’s global DNA and his own story as someone who understands what it means to navigate borders.
