NYC Closing Streets Outside 50 Schools For Free Soccer Events

NEW YORK, NY— New York City will close streets outside 50 schools for soccer-themed events ahead of the FIFA World Cup final, Mayor Zohran Mamdani’s administration announced Monday.

The “Soccer Streets” program will turn blocks near participating schools into temporary play spaces featuring pickup games, soccer drills and activities such as painting national team flags, according to City Hall.

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The city launched the events May 1 through a partnership with Street Lab, a nonprofit focused on open public spaces, and yogurt company Chobani.

The program will continue through June 26, the last day of school. City Hall did not immediately release a schedule detailing which days or hours streets would close.

Mamdani said the initiative aims to bring the World Cup experience directly into neighborhoods across the five boroughs, especially for families unable to afford tickets or transportation to matches.

“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 in a statement. “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 World Cup final and several tournament matches will take place at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, across eight dates between mid-June and mid-July.

City officials said the school events are part of a broader push to make the tournament accessible throughout New York City. The administration also plans to host one free fan zone in each borough where residents can watch matches together without paying admission.

Schools interested in joining the program can apply through Street Lab. The administration did not identify which schools have already signed up or hosted events.

The initiative operates through the Department of Transportation’s Open Streets for Schools program, which allows public schools to request temporary street closures outside their buildings for student activities. Schools often use the space for recess, assemblies and outdoor programming, particularly campuses without gymnasiums.