New York City's last remaining emergency migrant shelter held a watch party for the France versus Senegal World Cup match on Tuesday, with a special appearance by Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
The watch party was part of the Mamdani administration’s efforts to make the 2026 FIFA World Cup games more accessible to all New Yorkers and get people excited for the event.
Most of the 1,500 asylum-seekers inside the mega shelter are from Venezuela or Senegal and most game watchers were rooting for the West African team. To their disappointment, France won the match 3-1. Tuesday’s match took place across the Hudson at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
“Senegal, Senegal, Senegal,” said Hassan Abdraman, 40. He said many of the migrants at the shelter miss home, and watching the games brings everyone together.
Residents inside the mega migrant shelter in the Bronx cheered during the France v. Senegal FIFA World Cup game during a watch party Tuesday.
“We are like family inside, we miss home, we miss family, that’s hard for us. But this is good, all around people, this is my family,” he said.
Mamdani stopped by during the game and was cheered and surrounded by shelter residents eager to take selfies and shake his hand.
“I didn’t think he would come, they were saying it but I didn’t believe it,” Jorge Mario, a migrant from Guatemala, said in Spanish. “The visit of someone as important as him is a sign of support for us.”
The party was set up in the recreational room inside the 7-floor South Bronx facility. Large TVs played the game, soccer decorations hung from the ceiling, while food from France and Senegal was served by the food provider Migrant Kitchen.
“Sports are unifying,” Mario said in Spanish. “It doesn’t matter what nation you’re from, sports is unity and more importantly, family unity.”
The Bronx shelter along Bruckner Boulevard is operated by the Mayor’s Office of Housing Recovery Operations. The site is slated to close by the end of the year.
Residents inside the mega migrant shelter in the Bronx cheered during the France v. Senegal FIFA World Cup game during a watch party Tuesday.
The closure is part of the Mamdani administration’s plan to phase out the emergency shelter system as the migrant population decreases. The shelters were opened under former Mayor Eric Adams during the asylum seeker crisis. Mamdani said he wants all shelters to comply with city rules — such as providing kitchens for families with children and limiting shelter to no more than 200 people.
Abdraman, a migrant from Chad, gave all attendees a T-shirt he designed celebrating his new home, New York City, and featuring Mamdani in the center. He gave the mayor a shirt, too.
“I'm very happy because I see the Mamdani and it's something very nice,” he said.
Abduraman designed the shirt through art workshops held by the city’s artist in residence program and led by artist Mauricio Higuera.
“This confluence of the mayor coming, the world cup and this art club is an incredible mash up of what I know New York City to be,” said NYC Cultural Affairs Commissioner Diya Vij, who also attended the watch party.
Officials with the Department of Social Services said they plan to hold more watch parties and soccer-themed events across the city’s shelter system throughout the World Cup games. Last Sunday, former Arsenal player and FIFA legend Robert Pires stopped by a family shelter in Brooklyn to scrimmage with the kids.
