The fever for the 2026 FIFA World Cup tournament, the largest, most expansive in the competition’s 96-year history, has swept North America. Star players like Norway’s Erling Haaland, England’s Harry Kane, France’s Kylian Mbappe, and Argentina’s Lionel Messi have turned in dramatic performances. Americans have fallen in love with visiting teams and foreign visitors have become enamored, of all things, with American-size food portions and ranch dressing. Now, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced that this historic moment will be memorialized in New York with a set of 12 murals appearing throughout all five of the city’s boroughs, each designed by a local artist. Related Articles Christie's Turns to the World Cup After Record-Breaking Jim Irsay Sales Italian Americans Say a 2020 Zohran Mamdani Tweet About a Christopher Columbus Monument Shows 'Seething Hatred' The initiative is a project of the Groundswell Community Mural Project, the Department of Parks & Recreation, the Department of Cultural Affairs, and the Department of Youth and Community Development. New Yorkers can pitch in on “community paint days” at each site, starting today, July 14, when Mamdani and Groundswell will kick off the initiative at the Montbellier Park bleacher wall at Eastgate Plaza and Springfield Boulevard in Laurelton, Queens, where a mural designed by Peach Tao will take shape. “These murals will belong to the neighborhoods that brought them to life—from Fordham Heights to Ocean Hill to Laurelton and communities across our city,” Mamdani said in a statement. “Long after the final whistle of the World Cup, kids will walk past these walls and see something their families helped create. That’s how public art strengthens our sense of belonging and reflects the people who call their neighborhoods home. I’m grateful for this partnership and for the chance to leave something behind that will outlast the tournament itself.” That final whistle will below on Sunday July 19 at MetLife Stadium (rebranded as New York/New Jersey Stadium, per FIFA’s rules on branded venues) in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where a winner will be declared and take home a prize of some $51 million. That final match up will be decided Tuesday and Wednesday in match-ups of France vs. Spain and Argentina vs. England, respectively. “New York City is alive with the spirit of the World Cup—neighbors living here for generations alongside newer New Yorkers from countries around the world are coming together to celebrate, and these murals will illustrate this unique moment in our city,” NYC cultural affairs commissioner Diya Vij said. Mural locations are as follows: Bronx Brooklyn Manhattan Queens Staten Island
