Walking around Times Square, the United States’ tourist attraction in the heart of Manhattan, is no longer an easy task.
There are tourists, traders, men dressed as superheroes and a few suited members of the financial market passing by non-stop.
During World Cup season, add a new layer.
The iconic five-block stretch with several car-free zones is the best-known public space in New York City, which is also why it has gradually become a kind of football thermometer in the region.
The 2026 World Cup, which has a series of games scheduled for the New York Metropolitan Region, consolidated this phenomenon that had been observed since the 2025 Club Cup.
And there are reasons for that. But first, some examples.
The Brazilians were the first to dominate the postcard when they gathered in Times Square on the eve of the team’s World Cup debut against Morocco.
It was, after all, the first game at MetLife Stadium, a 30-minute drive away, in the tournament. It wouldn’t be wrong to say that the green and yellow shirts were responsible for bringing some World Cup atmosphere to a New York that only wanted to know about the NBA.
Thousands of Brazilians gathered there, among the big screens showing shopping and entertainment advertisements. Olinda dolls of the narrator Galvão Bueno and the star Vinicius Jr. attracted attention, as did the countless advertisements for bets and online games.
The Brazilians were the largest in volume, but not the only ones.
Last Tuesday night (16) many French people also gathered there to celebrate the victory against Senegal in the tournament.
And, shortly after, it was the turn of Argentines and Algerians to meet on the same night that the teams played the game in Kansas City. The meeting led to a fight: fans slapped and kicked each other, and had to be separated by New York police officers.
On the same day, immigrants and tourists from Colombia also gathered for a warm-up before the South American team’s debut against Uzbekistan, in Mexico, this Wednesday (17).
Entertainment epicenter
There are some factors to understand how Times Square was chosen as this kind of aggregator of fans, a thermometer of the most lively and present.
Starting with the fact that the region is one of the best known to any tourist due to the entertainment industry. Also nearby are Broadway theaters, which despite the high prices attract visitors to watch musicals.
The place is also a kind of heart of shopping and capitalism, with advertisements ranging from trinkets to take as gifts for the family to luxury bags and shoes. There are also immersive stores, such as some chocolate brands, and even one named after Pelé.
Because it is so well known in the popular imagination, it is there that most tourists, especially first-timers, stay. There are more than 60 hotels in those blocks.
And there is an important addition: ease of movement. Ten New York subway lines cross Times Square and connect it to the five boroughs, or administrative regions of the city (namely, in addition to Manhattan: Brooklyn, Queens, Bronx and Staten Island).
There is also an easy transfer to two other metro stations that offer seven more lines for getting around the city. The ticket costs US$3.00 (R$15), and if the traveler uses the same card to pay, after 12 trips in a period of 7 days, the rest are free until the week ends. Getting around to Times Square is not a problem.
Some numbers also help to understand the importance of these blocks. It is estimated that approximately 330,000 people cross Times Square daily, most of them tourists.
The estimated population of all of Manhattan is 1.66 million people. In other words, it is as if 1/5 of the entire most famous administrative division in New York passed through Times Square every day.
Last year alone, New York City received 65 million visitors, according to official data. For this World Cup, which ends in mid-July, the state of New York and the surrounding region estimate that 1.2 million visitors will come.
The current movement in the 2026 World Cup is not necessarily exclusive and has already been seen, for example, in the 2025 Club Cup, held in the United States. Thousands of fans also gathered in Times Square, including those from Palmeiras.
