NEW YORK — New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, who won the Democratic nomination on a platform of making the city more affordable, is now calling on soccer’s global governing body to make it cheaper for New Yorkers to attend the World Cup.

In a petition released Wednesday — the first day fans could begin to apply for tickets via a presale draw — Mamdani demanded FIFA reverse its plan to set prices for next year’s tournament based on demand, likening the practice to “price gouging.”

The Democratic socialist, who dubbed his campaign “Game Over Greed,” also called for 15% of tickets to be set aside at discounted prices for residents.

“As a lifelong football — sorry, I mean soccer — fan, I couldn’t be more excited,” Mamdani said in an accompanying social media video, affecting a faux-British accent as he juggled a soccer ball in his dress shoes. “But are any working-class New Yorkers actually going to be able to watch any of the matches?”

The tournament will be played across 16 cities in North America. Eight matches, including the final, will be held at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, a short train ride from New York City.

“So many of our neighbors will not be able to afford to be there,” Mamdani added, accusing FIFA of “pricing working people out of the game that they love.”

A spokesperson for FIFA did not respond to an emailed request for comment.

In recent days, FIFA’s plan to adopt a “variable pricing” model for ticket sales — similar to the one used by airlines or hotels — has sparked controversy among some fans.

Tickets will start at $60 for group stage matches and increase to $6,730 for the final, officials said last week, but could fluctuate under the demand-based pricing model. Mamdani also called on the governing body to implement a cap on resale ticket prices — something it has agreed to do in Mexico but not in the United States or Canada, he said.

A FIFA spokesperson said: “The pricing model adopted generally reflects the existing and developing market practice in our co-hosts for major entertainment and sporting events on a daily basis, soccer included. We are focused on ensuring fair access to our game for existing but also prospective fans, and are offering group stage tickets starting at $60, a very competitive price point for a major global sporting event in the U.S.

“It is important to note, as a not-for-profit organization, the revenue FIFA generates from the World Cup is reinvested to fuel the growth of the game [men, women, youth] throughout FIFA’s 211 member associations globally. As a matter of fact, FIFA expects to reinvest more than 90 percent of its budgeted investments for the cycle 2023-2026 back in the game to significantly boost global football development. Without FIFA’s financial support more than 50 per cent of FIFA’s Member Associations could not operate.”

There were comments online Wednesday from fans reporting difficulties in applying to enter the presale draw taking place Sept. 10-19. Applications over the 10-day period are not on a first-come, first-served basis — meaning someone applying in the final minute on Sept. 19 has just as much chance of success in receiving a time slot as someone entering when the window first opened Wednesday.

Success in securing a time slot for the presale that starts Oct. 1 will then give fans access to single tickets, with team-specific and venue-specific tickets.

Mamdani, who surged to victory in the primary based on promises such as freezing rent for New Yorkers and making buses free, situated the World Cup fight as part of his larger battle against rising costs for working people.

“Pope John Paul II said, ‘Of all the unimportant things, football is the most important,'” he said at a news conference Wednesday. “This is part and parcel of a larger affordability crisis in this city. Once again, it will be working people who will be left behind.”

Information from The Associated Press and PA was used in this story.

MADISON, Wis. — A Wisconsin driver involved in a traffic crash last week that killed two Marquette University lacrosse players was drunk at the time, authorities alleged Wednesday in charging her with vehicular homicide.

Amandria Brunner, 41, of West Allis, faces two counts of homicide by an intoxicated use of a vehicle while having a prior intoxicant-related conviction. She faces up to 80 years in prison if convicted of both counts.

According to a criminal complaint, the crash happened on Friday in Milwaukee when Brunner tried to turn left in front of an SUV that was taking six Marquette men’s lacrosse players to a thrift store. Scott Michaud, a 19-year-old sophomore goalie and biomedical sciences major from Springboro, Ohio, and 20-year-old Noah Snyder, a sophomore attackman and business student from Irving, New York, were pronounced dead at the scene.

A witness told police that she helped Brunner out of her pickup truck and noticed Brunner smelled of alcohol and kept trying to put gum in her mouth. Police also found an open beer can in her truck, according to the criminal complaint.

Brunner’s blood, which was drawn about two hours after the crash, had a blood alcohol content of 0.133, which exceeds the state’s legal limit to drive of 0.08.

An analysis of the crash recorder in Brunner’s truck found that she had been stopped for about three seconds before she pulled into the intersection with the accelerator depressed almost all the way to the floor, according to the complaint. She was traveling just under 12 mph (19 kph) when she struck the SUV, and she never braked.

Brunner was convicted of operating while intoxicated in November 2003, the complaint says.

Online court records indicated Brunner was in custody in the Milwaukee County Jail on Wednesday. Records did not list an attorney for her.

Michaud and Snyder were named to the Big East’s all-academic team last year for maintaining grade-point averages of at least 3.0. Snyder played in 13 of Marquette’s 14 games last season, making three starts in the midfield and collecting nine goals and seven assists.

Travis Kelce collided with and injured Xavier Worthy on the third play of the Kansas City Chiefs’ 27-21 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers last week in Brazil, and the star tight end opened up about the play during a recent episode of his podcast.

Kelce, 35, said he felt like “s—” after he ran into Worthy, who dislocated his shoulder on the play, per multiple reports. 

“I owe my guy big time, man. X knows it. I felt like s—, I could barely even f—— play the rest of that first half but we geared it up once I found out that he was, you know, in better spirits than I imagined in halftime,” Kelce said during “New Heights.”

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Kelce said that as a team they weren’t ready as leaders, and he took “the most accountability” for the play that injured Worthy. 

“I wasn’t ready that first drive, I ran into one of my guys and offed him out of the game. I literally took one of my players out. That’s one of the most frustrating parts and it’s hard to get your juices back going knowing you just hurt a guy. It’s just … it’s a frustrating, frustrating, way to start off the season, frustrating way to start off the game,” Kelce said. 

The 10-time Pro Bowler said he was running his route to set up Worthy with hopes that he could have sprung Worthy free. 

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Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce runs for a touchdown against the Los Angeles Chargers during the second half of an NFL football game in Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Sept. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Jeff Lewis)

“I’m supposed to be running my route at depth for Worthy, so it’s frustrating for me, I was trying to set up my guy to be able to get in a position, and it all just happened pretty quick,” Kelce said.

“I just got to be better, man. I’m 13 years in the league; there’s no excuse for me running into my own guys like that and being able to play fast and help them out. Worthy had his guy beat and we’re out the gate and that game starts completely different. Instead, not sure where he is exactly in terms of health wise, I’m hoping that we get him back as fast as possible because he means so much to this team.”

The four-time All-Pro said that the loss of Worthy wiped out one of the “biggest pieces” of the Chiefs’ game plan against the Chargers.

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Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy (1) plays against the Arizona Cardinals during a preseason NFL game at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Aug. 9, 2025. (Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images)

“The biggest thing is that he is one of our best players,” Kelce said. “He is going to take that step into being one of the best wide receivers in the National Football League and I run into him, and all of the sudden one of the biggest pieces of the game plan is out of the game. One of the fastest guys in the league and speed kills in this league, now they don’t have to worry about that.”

Kelce credited Hollywood Brown, Tyquan Thornton and JuJu Smith-Schuster for stepping up in Worthy’s absence.

It is unclear if Worthy will be able to play in the Chiefs’ highly anticipated Super Bowl rematch against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET on FOX. 

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