In a surprising moment, popular livestreamer and YouTuber IShowSpeed appeared to sit next to New York’s Mayor Zohran Mamdani at the FIFA World Cup, New York New Jersey Stadium, without realising who he was.
In the viral video, IShowSpeed can be seen enjoying the game while Mamdani sat next to him in Brazil’s Group C opener against Morocco. “Mayor! Who the Mayor?” IShowSpeed says in the video. He then turns towards Mamdani to confirm, further shaking hands with him.
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The NYC Mayor goes on to express his admiration for IShowSpeed and how he has been listening to the YouTuber’s World Cup song from 2022 every morning. “Thank you, man,” IShowSpeed responds.
Watch here:
IShowSpeed didn’t realize he was sitting next to Zohran Mamdani the Mayor of New York City the entire time while at the World Cup game 😭 pic.twitter.com/bvVblgxKFJ
The video has since gone viral, amassing over seven million views. “Speed went from phone zombie to W MAYOR in 0.2 seconds. Mayor Mamdani just won the internet too,” a user wrote. “He casual meet all these prominent people it’s like they’re his mates he is not intimidated at all,” another user commented.
“Only Speed could spend an entire match surrounded by thousands of fans cameras and VIPs and still miss the most recognizable person sitting right beside him,” a third user reacted.
Meanwhile, Mamdani is receiving flak for attending the FIFA game from a luxury suite without paying for his ticket. According to a report by the New York Post, Zohran Mamdani did not personally purchase a ticket for the Brazil–Morocco World Cup match and could attend additional games throughout the tournament. The matchup was among the most sought-after events of the opening weekend, with some tickets on the resale market reportedly climbing to approximately $1,600 on the day of the game.
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However, his spokesperson, Dora Pekec, told the New York Post that the mayor plans to attend a limited number of World Cup matches as part of his official duties. The administration noted that New York City is one of the host cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, making participation in select tournament events a component of his role as mayor.
The NYC Mayor goes on to express his admiration for IShowSpeed (Photo: @yoxics/X) 
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