New York mayor wears Arsenal kurta during Eid prayers

Key developments are emerging from the global stage. New York mayor wears Arsenal kurta during Eid prayersImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Mamdani is New York's youngest mayor since 1892Published18 minutes agoThe Mayor of New York City Zohran Mamdani took his Arsenal super-fandom up a notch on Wednesday when he attended Eid al-Adha prayers in the Bronx wearing an Arsenal themed kurta. Images of Mamdani's kurta - a traditional loose-fitting tunic - based on Arsenal's 2025-26 navy and red lightning bolt away shirt, went viral. Mamdani was born and raised in Uganda and is New York's first Muslim and Asian-American mayor.

He began supporting Arsenal at the age of 10 when his uncle bought him a set of fridge magnets with the images of Gunners stars including Sylvain Wiltord, David Seaman, Sol Campbell, and Thierry Henry. He may be the mayor of the biggest city in the United States, but the 34-year-old delighted in Arsenal's Premier League title triumph in much the same way as residents of Highbury and Islington. Mamdani's football fanaticism is far from limited to Arsenal though.

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His social media followers lapped up his ability to recall obscure 90s footballers, and the fact he is a shareholder in Spanish side Real Oviedo. The politician was one of 20,000 people to get involved in an international share-buying campaign the club launched when facing bankruptcy in 2012. Mamdani, elected New York mayor in November, has also spoken out about Fifa's use of dynamic pricing for 2026 World Cup tickets.

He recently announced a lottery for 1,000 New York residents to win the chance to purchase $50 (£37. 30) tournament tickets. The 50,000-person daily limit for entering the lottery was reached within three minutes on its opening day.

New Jersey's MetLife stadium, the home of NFL franchises the New York Jets and the New York Giants, is set to host the final of the 48-team tournament which is taking place across the United States, Mexico and Canada between 11 June and 19 July. That Mamdani melded Premier League and Eid al-Adha celebrations with a custom kurta begs one question - what will his celebrations look like if Arsenal win the Champions League? Arsenal face Paris St-Germain in the final of European club football's most prestigious tournament in Budapest on Saturday, 30 May at 17:00 BST.

The development has drawn wide international attention, with diplomatic circles watching closely.