New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani has faced strong criticism after visiting Rikers Island jail to watch a World Cup semi-final football match alongside inmates. Footage from the Associated Press showed Mamdani entering a recreation room at the notorious New York City jail complex, where prisoners in tan jumpsuits were gathered to watch the game, prompting accusations online that he was "palling around" with convicted criminals.

The visit took place on a Wednesday afternoon as the England versus Argentina World Cup semi-final was shown at the facility. Critics, including commentators cited by Fox News, characterised the appearance as a publicity stunt and questioned the appropriateness of a sitting mayor socialising with detainees at Rikers Island, a jail long associated with controversy over conditions and treatment of inmates. The episode adds to a string of recent controversies surrounding Mamdani, who has also drawn attention for remarks on taxing wealthy New Yorkers and calls to arrest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.