50,000 Fans, One Great Lawn: Global Citizen Bringing World Cup Final Watch Party to Central Park
Global Citizen will host the largest FIFA World Cup Final watch party on the planet July 19 on Central Park's Great Lawn — and ticket lottery details drop this Thursday.
Date: Sunday, July 19, 2026 — FIFA World Cup Final day
Location: Central Park's Great Lawn, Manhattan
Capacity: 50,000 fans
Ticket lottery details: Released Thursday, June 11
Organizer: Global Citizen, in partnership with FIFA
Central Park is about to host its most watched sporting moment ever. Global Citizen — the advocacy organization behind the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final halftime show — is producing a massive outdoor watch party on the Great Lawn on July 19 that will bring together 50,000 fans to watch the World Cup Final on giant screens, with live entertainment running alongside the match.
The event is billed as the largest FIFA World Cup Final watch party in the world, and it comes with one of the tournament's most coveted tickets. Global Citizen says it will release ticket lottery information on Thursday, June 11 — giving fans just days to register before demand almost certainly overwhelms availability.
The Halftime Show Connection
The watch party is closely tied to Global Citizen's broader role in this summer's tournament. The organization is producing the first-ever FIFA World Cup Final halftime show at New York New Jersey Stadium on July 19 — a Super Bowl-style entertainment spectacle headlined by Madonna, Shakira, and BTS, with the lineup curated by Coldplay's Chris Martin. The Great Lawn event will serve as the ultimate companion experience for the 50,000 fans who won't be inside the stadium but still want to be part of the historic moment.
Global Citizen and FIFA formalized their partnership at the 2024 Global Citizen Festival — also held in Central Park — where FIFA President Gianni Infantino and Global Citizen CEO Hugh Evans announced the four-year agreement alongside actor Hugh Jackman. The collaboration goes beyond entertainment: both organizations have committed to using the World Cup platform to advance access to education and help end extreme poverty worldwide through the FIFA Global Citizen Education Fund.
How to Get a Ticket
Global Citizen hasn't released ticketing details yet — that's coming Thursday, June 11. But based on the organization's standard model, access will likely be tied to its earn-a-ticket system, which rewards fans for completing civic actions such as signing petitions, contacting elected officials, or making donations to partner causes.
The lottery is now open. Registration opened June 11 at 10am and closes July 16 — giving fans over a month to earn their tickets. Based on Global Citizen's model, tickets are earned by completing civic actions at globalcitizen.org — signing petitions, contacting elected officials, and supporting partner causes. The more actions you complete, the better your chances in the lottery. Don't wait until July: the highest-demand slots will go to those who register early and complete actions over time.
A City Full of Watch Party Options
The Central Park event is the flagship watch party for the Final, but it won't be the only game in town on July 19. The FIFA Fan Village at Rockefeller Center — a joint production from the NYNJ Host Committee, Telemundo, and Rockefeller Center — will run throughout the tournament with match screenings, skyline views, and World Cup programming in the heart of Midtown. New York State is also running two large-scale free watch parties at venues across the region for fans who can't secure Central Park tickets.
For fans watching from the bars and restaurants of New York's five boroughs, our soccer bar guide covers the best venues by neighborhood — from Jackson Heights to the West Village — for every match of the tournament, including the Final.
Plan Your World Cup Final Day
- How to Get to MetLife Stadium from NYC — Transit options for the Final
- World Cup Fan Zones Guide — Every official fan zone in the NYC/NJ region
- Where to Stay for the World Cup — Hotels near MetLife and across the region
- Full Match Schedule — All 104 matches including NY/NJ dates
- Best Soccer Bars in NYC — The top spots to watch the Final with a crowd
See the full calendar of concerts and events in NYC during the World Cup: Every Major Event at NYC Metro Venues →