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.
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
- Walton Playground (Fordham Heights), 2115 Walton Avenue at East 181st Street. Lead Artist: Angel Garcia
- Franz Sigel Park (South Bronx), 670 Walton Avenue at East 153rd Street. Lead Artist: VASH
Brooklyn
- Callahan-Kelly Playground (Ocean Hill), 2300 Fulton Street. Lead Artist: Miki Mu
- Garden Playground (Bushwick/South Williamsburg), 16 Garden Street at Flushing Avenue. Lead Artist: Yolande Delius
Manhattan
- St. Nicholas Park (West Harlem), 582 St. Nicholas Avenue at West 139th Street. Lead Artist: Viktoriya Basina
- Coleman Playground (Two Bridges/Lower East Side), 58 Market Street at Monroe Street. Lead Artist: Misha Tyutyunik
- Lily Brown Playground at Fort Washington Park (Washington Heights), 915 Riverside Drive at West 163rd Street. Lead Artist: Vincent Ballentine
Queens
- Montbellier Park (Laurelton), 138-17 Springfield Boulevard at 138th Road. Lead Artist: Peach Tao
- Emerald Playground (Pomonok), 162-41 71st Avenue at 164th Street, Fresh Meadows. Lead Artist: Carlos Mateu
- Steinway Playground (Astoria-Ditmars), 20-35 38th Street at 20th Road. Lead Artist: Colleen Kong-Savage
Staten Island
- Prall Playground (West Brighton), 241 Elizabeth Street at Forest Avenue Long Pond Lane. Lead Artist: Mimi Ditkoff
- Arrochar Playground (Arrochar), 71-61 Sand Lane at Major Avenue. Lead Artist: Lina Montoya
