New York Mayor Wears Arsenal kurta At Eid Prayers

New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani showed off his devotion to Arsenal in a unique way on Wednesday, wearing a custom kurta inspired by the team’s navy and red lightning bolt away kit while attending Eid al-Adha prayers in the Bronx.

Images of Mamdani in the traditional loose-fitting tunic—featuring Arsenal’s 2025-26 away design—quickly spread across social media.

Mamdani, who was born in Uganda and made history as New York’s first Muslim and Asian-American mayor, has been a devoted Gunners fan since age 10, when his uncle gave him fridge magnets of Arsenal stars like Thierry Henry, David Seaman, and Sol Campbell.

Despite leading America’s largest city, the 34-year-old celebrated Arsenal’s Premier League title win with the same passion as any fan from Highbury or Islington. But his football obsession goes beyond Arsenal—he’s known for recalling obscure 90s players online and even holds shares in Spanish club Real Oviedo, buying in during a 2012 fan-led campaign to save the club from bankruptcy.

Elected mayor in November, Mamdani has also criticised FIFA’s dynamic pricing for 2026 World Cup tickets. He recently launched a lottery for 1,000 New Yorkers to buy $50 tickets—the 50,000 daily entries sold out in under three minutes.

The World Cup final will be held at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, home of the Jets and Giants, as part of the 48-team tournament across the US, Mexico, and Canada from June 11 to July 19.

Mamdani’s blend of Premier League fandom and Eid celebrations raises the question: what will he do if Arsenal win the Champions League? The Gunners face Paris St-Germain in the final on Saturday, May 30 in Budapest.