New Yorkers who want a close-up look at Olympic-caliber speed without draining their bank accounts just got a shot at it. Mayor Zohran Mamdani on Tuesday opened a citywide lottery for 500 free tickets to the 2026 USA Track & Field Outdoor & Para National Championships, set for July 23–26 at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island. Each winner can claim up to two tickets and pick either the Thursday or Friday sessions. The lottery window closes at 11 p.m. Tuesday, with winners set to be notified on Wednesday.
In a press release from the Mayor's Office, Mamdani cast the giveaway as part of a broader push to make big-ticket sports more affordable, saying “we will give thousands of New Yorkers the chance to watch world-class athletes.” The city says the free seats are being distributed in partnership with USATF New York, Central Park Track Club and New York Road Runners, with organizers pitching the move as a way to get fans from every borough into the stands for a rare national meet in the city.
The four-day championships will unfold at Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island, which USATF New York lists as the official host venue. The meet is set to bring together Olympians, Paralympians and rising Team USA talent, with Noah Lyles and Sha'Carri Richardson among the marquee names, according to NBC Sports. Paid tickets are being sold through the event’s official ticket partner and on USATF pages.
How the free lottery works
New Yorkers can enter the lottery via the Mayor's Office sign-up portal at on.nyc.gov/TrackAndField. Entrants are asked to select either the Thursday or Friday sessions when filling out the form. City officials say the distribution is designed to spread access across all five boroughs, not just track diehards who live closest to Randall’s Island.
Tickets, discounts and where to buy
If you miss out on the free seats, you are not shut out. Championship tickets remain available through the official channels, and USATF New York and meet organizers are directing fans to FreshTix as the primary seller. Local coverage notes that the promotional code “MAYOR10” knocks 10 percent off at checkout. For those planning to watch from the couch, broadcast partners will air extensive live coverage across NBC, Peacock and USATF.TV throughout the weekend.
Why the meet matters
This week’s event marks the first time the USATF Para National Championships will be staged in New York City and the first USATF Outdoor Championships in the city since 1991, giving the sport a long-awaited return to a major local stage. Ahead of 2026, the Randall's Island Park Alliance oversaw a refresh of the Icahn Stadium track, installing a Mondo Super X 720 surface as part of a multi-million-dollar upgrade, according to the Randall's Island Park Alliance. Organizers say the ticket giveaway is meant to complement other city affordability efforts this summer, putting elite competition within reach for more New Yorkers instead of just those willing to pay top dollar.
Winners will be notified on Wednesday and given instructions on how to claim their tickets, per Brooklyn Eagle. If your name does not get called, the event’s official ticketing pages and FreshTix remain the go-to spots for buying seats to the four-day meet.
