How Zohran Mamdani and other US mayors use the World Cup to communicate

Zohran Mamdani used a citywide soccer tournament as a campaign event in his run for mayor. Photograph: Katie Godowski/MediaPunch/Shutterstock From the moment he entered office, New York City Zohran Mamdani hasn’t hesitated to make his love of soccer clear. The former New York state assembly member hosted a watch party for the Africa Cup of Nations final soon after moving in to City Hall, littered speeches with references to soccer stars past and present, and remained a fixture at a Brooklyn pub to watch his beloved Arsenal on their way to a Premier League title. The World Cup, though, is a different level. And as such, Mamdani has stood out over the last month-plus for being one of several municipal politicians in US host cities using the tournament – and soccer in general – as a way to connect with constituents, advance political goals, or in some cases, change the perception of their city among the public at large. Related: From cheap transport to football geekery: how Zohran Mamdani won the World Cup Mayors pursuing these sorts of goals is nothing new. But in the United States, where American football, basketball and baseball hold much of the public’s attention, using soccer to get there is a novel concept. “Football holds a rare power,” Mamdani said in the latest of his Morning Pitch live streams, which have delivered traffic and weather information to New Yorkers on World Cup game days, in addition to soliloquies about the sport. The streams have been a hit; enough so that the final edition, due to arrive Sunday for the World Cup final in nearby East Rutherford, New Jersey, will have a special guest host: Gary Lineker, the famed presenter and former England striker. In Mamdani’s case, the football chat comes naturally. But for most mayors in the US, this year is their first exposure to a World Cup, and certainly to one on home soil. San Jose mayor Matt Mahan’s playing career ended in childhood; he stayed connected with the game by coaching during his time as a teacher and now by watching his young daughter, who plays in a local league. He saw the hosting of World Cup games in nearby Santa Clara as a prime opportunity to change the perception of the city he oversees. “One of the things that we were able to communicate and show off about our city is that San Jose is fun , that it’s cool and that it’s a destination,” said Mahan. “That may not sound like a big deal to somebody in, say, New York, but in our region, San Jose is kind of a workhorse city. We’re a bedroom community where a lot of the Silicon Valley workforce lives, but we’re not seen as a, generally seen as a cultural destination, the way that San Francisco is.” Mahan said that local organizers sought to communicate that feeling by hosting watch parties in downtown’s San Pedro Square – gatherings they estimated would draw about 350,000 people over the life of the tournament, but with a total attendance that now sits just north of 900,000 before the final match. Hosting big events is nothing new for the Bay Area or San Jose specifically, with the Super Bowl having just taken place at Levi’s Stadium earlier this year. But Mahan noted that the extended nature of the World Cup – and its international appeal – provides new opportunities to reach out to constituents. “You have a lot of time and so many matches that there are a lot of bites at the apple,” he said. “The Super Bowl is one game … there’s nothing like the World Cup where virtually every community can be activated. “I mean, I’ve been out to San Pedro every, every day or two throughout the tournament, done a lot of selfie videos, and walking around talking to people, and just trying to actually document what we’re doing and celebrate our cultural diversity and our cultural vibrancy, and the small businesses.” The approach has been similar around the country, with Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass announcing numerous watch party locations throughout the city. In Philadelphia, the World Cup coincided with the Fourth of July and America 250 festivities, with Mayor Cherelle Parker personally calling performers on Independence Day to continue a concert after thunderstorms had seemingly wiped it out. In Kansas City, Mayor Quinton Lucas had a slightly different goal: introducing the city to the world at large. He described the hosting efforts as a way to “brand the city” in an interview with KCUR , saying the World Cup was also an opportunity to advocate for the city’s ongoing streetcar project – a rare public transportation win in a city that is still majority car-based and faced numerous traffic issues on game days for fans getting to and from the stadium. In Mamdani’s case, the city he oversees hardly needs selling. Rather, he has used his daily livestreams as a way to further his own political philosophy, connecting it to the sport he has followed since he was a kid growing up in Uganda. These efforts are gaining him followers well outside the five boroughs. For his stream about Brazil v Morocco ( his pick for World Cup winner ) on 13 June, Mamdani used the moment to educate viewers about Sócrates, the Brazilian midfielder known for his political activism. The moment went viral in Brazil, even being reposted by Corinthians, Sócrates’ former team in São Paulo. The sport, Mamdani said on a recent stream, has “the power to give billions worldwide a glimpse into another world –one beyond jobs that don’t pay enough, bills that pile up and leaders who never meet their promises. The power to deliver joy to the people.”