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NEW YORK — Mayor Zohran Kwame Mamdani on Monday launched “Soccer Streets,” a citywide program that transforms the streets outside 50 public schools into temporary soccer fields, art stations, and cultural celebration zones ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Running from May 1 to June 26, the initiative brings World Cup excitement directly to neighborhoods — especially those with limited outdoor space.
For many Filipino American families across Queens, Brooklyn, and Manhattan, the program offers something long overdue: safe, car-free play areas for children in communities where schoolyards are small, and parks are often overcrowded.
Turning School Streets Into World Cup Field Days
Soccer Streets is built on the city’s Open Streets for Schools model, which allows schools to close adjacent blocks to traffic for recess, outdoor learning, and community events. Under the new initiative, each participating school will host a full-day “field day” featuring soccer drills, pickup matches, art-making, and cultural activities.
Mayor Mamdani said the goal is to democratize the World Cup experience.
“The World Cup is coming to New York City, and we want every kid in this city to experience the joy of the game,” he said. “Soccer Streets takes that energy directly into our neighborhoods — closing streets to cars, opening them to play.”
The program is a partnership between the City, Street Lab, and Chobani, which is supporting the activations.
How It Will Be Implemented: A Traveling Festival Across All Five Boroughs
The initiative will rotate through 50 schools, each hosting a one-day activation. Streets will be temporarily closed, staffed by Street Lab teams, and equipped with portable soccer goals, cones, art tables, and multilingual activity stations.
NYC DOT Commissioner Mike Flynn emphasized the importance of reclaiming street space for children.
“For so many schools, the street outside their door is the only outdoor space they have,” Flynn said. “Soccer Streets shows what’s possible when we give that space back to kids.”
Schools Chancellor Kamar Samuels added that the program supports whole-child development:
“Outdoor play and physical activity are essential to the whole child,” he said. “The street right outside a school door can be just as powerful a learning environment as the classrooms inside it.”
Why It Matters to Fil-Am Communities
Filipino American families — especially in Woodside, Elmhurst, Jackson Heights, and parts of Brooklyn — have some of the highest rates of multigenerational households and some of the lowest access to dedicated play spaces. Many Fil-Am students attend schools where recess happens on asphalt lots or narrow sidewalks.
Soccer Streets offers:
- Safe, car-free blocks for children who often walk to school
- Free physical activity for families who cannot afford private sports programs
- Cultural celebration spaces, aligning with the Fil-Am community’s love of sports and bayanihan-style gatherings
Parents in Queens have long advocated for safer school streets. The initiative, they say, is a welcome step toward giving children more room to play without fear of traffic.
A World Cup Legacy for Every Neighborhood
World Cup Czar Maya Handa said the program ensures the global event benefits all New Yorkers.
“Every neighborhood should benefit from the World Cup coming to our city,” she said.
Chobani founder Hamdi Ulukaya added that soccer’s unifying power makes it ideal for community-building:
“Seeing streets filled with kids playing, families cheering, and communities connecting… that’s what makes soccer so special.”
For Fil-Am families — many of whom work long hours in healthcare, service, and transportation — the program offers a rare chance for children to enjoy structured play without cost, travel, or barriers.
