Mayor Mamdani Releases World Cup Promotional Video Featuring Tim Weah, Gotham FC and Morad Fareed
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani released a promotional video celebrating New York City’s role in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, featuring Tim Weah, Gotham FC players and Bronx-born Palestinian soccer pioneer Morad Fareed.
What You Should Know
- Mayor Mamdani released a new promotional video for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
- The video features Tim Weah, Gotham FC players and Bronx-born soccer figure Morad Fareed.
- The video includes scenes connected to Bronx High School of Science, where Mayor Mamdani played soccer as a student.
- New York City will be a premier host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with matches at MetLife Stadium and fan programming across the five boroughs.
NEW YORK — According to an official
announcement from the Office of the Mayor of New York City
,
Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani released a World Cup promotional video celebrating New York City’s place at the center of the
2026 FIFA World Cup.
The video features U.S. Men’s National Team star Tim Weah, players from Gotham FC,
including Midge Purce, and Bronx native Morad Fareed, a member of the first Palestinian national team
to attempt World Cup qualification. It also includes players from Bronx High School of Science, where Mayor Mamdani
played soccer as a student.
Filmed at iconic locations across New York City, including the American Museum of Natural History, the video presents
the city as a global soccer capital shaped by immigrant communities, schoolyard players, women competing at the highest level of the
sport and a mayor who grew up playing the game in the city he now serves.
“I grew up in this city watching the World Cup with neighbors whose roots stretched across every corner of the globe,” Mayor Mamdani said.
“That’s what makes New York so special: the whole world already belongs here.”
New York City and the 2026 FIFA World Cup
New York City will play a major role in the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Matches will take place at MetLife Stadium, while fan
programming is expected throughout the five boroughs.
The mayor’s office said the video draws from the administration’s first months in office, including Soccer Streets
programming, the Gotham FC sideline and a Champions League Final watch party at FancyFree in Brooklyn.
Tim Weah, Gotham FC and Morad Fareed
Tim Weah, a New York City product and leading figure on the U.S. Men’s National Team, appears in the video as the city
prepares for the global tournament.
Morad Fareed, who was born and raised in the Bronx, was part of a historic moment when Palestine mounted its first-ever
campaign to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup. Fareed also founded FC Mother, which holds a partnership with the
World Cup host committee in Monterrey, Mexico.
Gotham FC players featured in the video include Midge Purce, Jordynn Dudley, Bruninha,
Andrea Kitahata and Sarah Schupansky.
Why It Matters for New York
The World Cup is more than a sporting event for New York City. It is a global cultural moment that connects tourism, local business,
immigrant communities, youth sports and international attention.
For BigNY.com readers, the announcement highlights how the 2026 FIFA World Cup could bring worldwide visibility to New York City,
from stadium matches to neighborhood watch parties, restaurants, small businesses, schools and soccer communities across the five boroughs.
Read Original Mayor’s Office Release
Mayor Mamdani Releases World Cup Promotional Video Featuring Tim Weah, Gotham FC and Bronx-Born Palestinian Soccer Pioneer Morad Fareed
June 2, 2026
*** Video available here ***
NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani today released a World Cup promotional video celebrating New York City’s place at the center of the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.
The video features U.S. Men’s National Team star Tim Weah, players from Gotham FC including Midge Purce and Bronx native Morad Fareed — a member of the first Palestinian national team to attempt World Cup qualification — alongside players from Bronx High School of Science, where Mayor Mamdani played soccer as a student.
Filmed at iconic locations across New York City, including the American Museum of Natural History, the video captures what makes this city the soccer capital of the world: kids on Bronx schoolyards, women competing at the highest level of the sport, immigrant communities that have made soccer a part of the city’s fabric and a mayor who grew up playing in the city he now serves.
“I grew up in this city watching the World Cup with neighbors whose roots stretched across every corner of the globe,” said Mayor Mamdani. “That’s what makes New York so special: the whole world already belongs here. This summer, we get to share that with everyone. I have never been more proud to be a New Yorker or to serve as mayor of this city.”
The video draws from across the Mayor’s first months in office, including Soccer Streets programming, the Gotham FC sideline and a Champions League Final watch party at FancyFree in Brooklyn. It also features members of Bronx Science’s soccer team and players who represent what New York soccer looks and sounds like today.
Fareed, who was born and raised in the Bronx, was part of a historic moment when Palestine mounted its first-ever campaign to qualify for the 2006 FIFA World Cup™. Weah, another product of New York City, enters the 2026 World Cup as one of the leading figures on the U.S. Men’s National Team. Fareed also founded FC Mother, which holds a partnership with the World Cup host committee in Monterrey, Mexico.
The Gotham FC players in the video include Midge Purce, Jordynn Dudley, Bruninha, Andrea Kitahata and Sarah Schupansky.
New York City will be a premier host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, with matches taking place at MetLife Stadium and fan programming throughout the five boroughs.
The video is available now on Mayor Mamdani’s official social media accounts.