[Source: Reuters]

New York City will offer its residents a chance to snag $50 tickets to World Cup games in New Jersey this summer, ​Mayor Zohran Mamdani said on Thursday, with 1,000 affordable tickets ‌up for grabs through a lottery system.

The discounted tickets come with free round-trip bus transportation to the stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey and will be ​split across five group-stage and two knockout games, with 150 tickets ​available per match.

“We are making sure that working people will ⁠not be priced out of the game that they helped to ​create,” Mamdani told a press conference in the city’s Harlem neighbourhood, quipping ​that the $50 price tag was the equivalent of five coffees in New York City.

Starting on May 25, residents will be able to enter a lottery for a ​chance to purchase the tickets, which will be non-transferable and distributed to ​winners at the bus boarding location in an effort to prevent scalping.

Ticket affordability has ‌been ⁠a key issue for the tournament being co-hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

According to TicketData, a ticket price tracking platform, the average “get-in” cost for a group-stage match in New York as of Wednesday was $864. ​Some resale tickets are ​listed for ⁠thousands of dollars across various platforms, including FIFA’s official resale and exchange marketplace.

The best seats for the final ​on July 19 in New Jersey were put on ​sale for ⁠nearly $33,000.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino defended high World Cup ticket prices this month.

“This is the moment to make sure that everybody is included, that everybody ⁠is lifted ​up,” said New York City Councilman Yusef ​Salaam.

Winners of the lottery will be able to purchase up to two tickets each.

You can watch the LIVE coverage on FBC Sports.