In this NYC Mayor’s Office video, Mayor Zohran Mamdani makes the case that “New York is a football town” by turning a major city landmark into a public celebration of the world’s game. Speaking to a crowd gathered downtown at Manhattan’s Surrogate’s Court, he says what unites people in the room is both love for Africa—a continent many were born in or connected to—and love for football, which he calls a daily source of energy and meaning.
The moment centers on the city-hosted AFCON final watch party (Morocco vs. Senegal): fans from different backgrounds share one space, one match, and one city. Mamdani frames it as a snapshot of New York at its best—rooting for different teams, but still together—and ties it to what’s coming next: bringing “the world’s game” to New York City in the months ahead, as the region prepares for the 2026 World Cup summer.
January 23, 2026 Morocco-Senegal AFCON final game downtown at the Surrogate’s Court building.