Image Credit: NYC Tourism + Conventions
Experience New York City during the 2026 World Cup and embrace a pace that doesn’t slow down for anyone. It is a city of five world-famous boroughs—Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island—and while the matches may bring you here, it’s the iconic transit system and the street corners that will define your stay.
The New York City subway is the City's nervous system. Whether you are taking the 7 train to the culinary hubs of Queens or A train out to the beaches of the Rockaways, the rail system is where the City’s diversity is most visible.
Image Credit: NYC Tourism + Conventions
In New York City, one of the most iconic meals is served in a foil bowl on a sidewalk. The Halal Guys at 53rd Street and Sixth Avenue in Manhattan remains the gold standard for street food—a mandatory stop for locals and visitors alike.The scent of grilled chicken and the ritual of drizzling on the white sauce are as much a part of the Midtown experience as the skyscrapers themselves. During the tournament, you’ll find this same energy at Official Fan Events in the five boroughs, where local vendors bring the flavors of each area to the global crowd.
Image Credit: NYC Tourism + Conventions
Between matches, the City’s landmarks provide a dramatic backdrop that mirrors the tournament’s intensity. You’ve seen Times Square in many movies filmed in NYC, and now you can finally stand at the crossroads surrounded by the lights of Midtown. You can ascend the glass-walled SUMMIT One Vanderbilt for a view of the skyline you’ve seen on postcards, or finally walk under the granite arches of the Brooklyn Bridge.
For a free and immersive perspective of the harbor, the Staten Island Ferry provides a 24-hour connection between Lower Manhattan and St. George Terminal. It offers an unobstructed view of the Statue of Liberty.
Image of the Chinese Scholar’s Garden | Image Credit: NYC Tourism + Conventions
Beyond the famous Manhattan skyline, each borough offers a version of the New York City experience you’ve definitely heard about. Whether you watch baseball or not, you know the New York Yankees. Yankee Stadium, the team’s home base, is a must-visit in the Bronx, as is the sprawling Bronx Zoo, New York Botanical Garden and Arthur Avenue, the borough’s Little Italy.
Queens, meanwhile, delivers global culinary enclaves like Jackson Heights and Little Egypt in Astoria that have made the borough legendary for food. In Brooklyn, a trip to the Coney Island boardwalk offers a century of seaside history and the fabled Wonder Wheel. Staten Island surprises with the Chinese Scholar’s Garden at Snug Harbor.
Navigating these spaces means stepping off the cinematic tourist path and into the neighborhoods where the City’s Muslim community has comfortably lived and built a history for generations.
To see the full map of these landmarks and plan your journey through the five boroughs, with halal food and prayer spaces in mind, download the New York City Halal Travel Guide.
