The Central Park FIFA Arena, operated by Street Soccer USA, is a free, small-sided pitch open to every New Yorker built to do what soccer does best — bring neighbors together, give kids somewhere to belong, and turn a patch of the park into common ground. It will remain in Central Park throughout the FIFA Men’s World Cup 2026™ and close with a huge, free watch party for the final.
New York, NY — FIFA marked a historic day in New York City as the first of 26 FIFA Arena mini-pitches across the city was officially inaugurated in Central Park and a huge, free watch party for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ final was announced.
The twin announcements were made at a ceremony at Tavern on the Green, attended by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the Mayor of New York City, Zohran Mamdani, the Governor of New York State, Kathy Hochul, and Global Citizen CEO and co-founder Hugh Evans.
“We all know that the world needs an occasion to come together, to unite. That’s what the (FIFA) World Cup does. We want to unite the world. We want to bring the world together, and we want to bring the world together in joy, in happiness, in unity, and New York is exactly a symbol for all of that,” the FIFA President said.
Mr Infantino described the opening of the FIFA Arena as the moment New York’s transformation into a football city truly began, saying that Central Park is now football territory.
Reflecting on the city’s role as host of the tournament’s showpiece occasion, the FIFA President spoke of New York’s unique place in the world. “New York is such an international city. We have more than 200 nationalities here…everyone should be proud of where he or she comes from, and everyone should show it, exactly because we have the World Cup,” he added. He also announced the construction of 26 FIFA Arena mini-pitches across New York, a major investment in promoting soccer across New York, for a project that aims to create accessible, safe and sustainable football infrastructure worldwide, particularly in areas where children and communities have limited access to quality sports facilities.
“We will build…26 arenas, FIFA Arenas, for 2026 in New York. And all of this gives to these children…a moment to play in a safe environment, in a secure environment, to share emotions and feelings with their team-mates from New York and from all over the world – and to be happy.”
The FIFA Arena in Central Park itself will be open to the public from 10 June to 18 July, operated by Street Soccer USA in partnership with FIFA. Programming will run daily from 10:00 to 14:00 for open play and group bookings, and from 16:00 to 20:00 for themed events and community sessions. More than 80 schools, recreation centres and community organisations from across all five boroughs are expected to take part, with more than 5,000 children set to benefit.
Read the full FIFA press release here: https://inside.fifa.com/organisation/president/news/world-cup-zohran-mamdani-new-york-central-park-gianni-infantino
Read the press release from the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul: https://www.governor.ny.gov/news/governor-hochul-mayor-mamdani-fifa-and-nynj-host-committee-announce-free-watch-party-central
Read the press release from the Office of Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani: https://www.nyc.gov/mayors-office/news/2026/06/mayor-mamdani–governor-hochul–fifa-and-nynj-host-committee-ann
More information for the Central Park FIFA Area including a full schedule of events is available at https://www.streetsoccerusa.org/central-park/
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