Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Monday launched "Soccer Streets," a traveling series of field days visiting 50 public schools across the five boroughs ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
At each stop, car-free streets outside schools will be transformed into soccer pitches, art stations and block-party celebrations through the last day of school on June 26. Students will be able to play pickup matches, run drills, paint team flags and celebrate the FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest sporting event coming to New York City this summer.
“The World Cup is coming to New York City, and we want every kid in this city to experience the joy of the game,” Mamdani said in a statement. “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. 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 city is partnering with the nonprofit Street Lab and Chobani to bring Soccer Streets to schools across the five boroughs.
Schools interested in participating can contact Street Lab to learn more and get involved. Soccer Streets is a part of NYC DOT's Open Streets for Schools program, which allows schools to close an adjacent street to traffic for recess, outdoor learning and safer pickup and drop-off. Several Soccer Streets locations are already Open Streets schools. Applications for the 2026–27 school year are open now and the city is encouraging more schools to join the program.
