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Chobani founder and CEO Hamdi Ulukaya joined New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani in the Bronx for a street soccer match, sporting a custom Chobani-branded Fenerbahce jersey.
Ulukaya, whose yogurt brand sponsors the Turkish football club, took to the pitch alongside the mayor to participate in the local athletic event.
The event was co-organized by Chobani, the New York City government and nonprofit Street Lab. To bring the vision to life, neighborhood streets were temporarily converted into soccer pitches, with children and families taking part in football activities and community programming.
In a post on his social media accounts, Ulukaya said soccer is more than a sport. He stated that as a child, the game taught him "to bring people together, to create a sense of belonging, and to develop skills that can be carried into different areas of life."
The event served as a launch for Soccer Streets, a program run through the city's Department of Transportation that will close streets outside 50 public schools to car traffic from May 1 through June 26, on the last day of the school year.
The program covers all five boroughs. At each location, closed streets will be transformed into pitches where children can take part in soccer games, drills, and other activities tied to the World Cup alongside their school communities.
Soccer Streets is an extension of the city's Open Streets program, which converts road space into public areas open to all New Yorkers and features activities designed to build community across neighborhoods.
"The World Cup is coming to New York City, and we want every kid in this city to experience the joy of the game," Mamdani said.
"Soccer Streets takes that energy directly into our neighborhoods — closing streets to cars, opening them to play and making sure this celebration isn't reserved for people who can afford a ticket."
New York City Department of Transportation Commissioner Mike Flynn noted the limited outdoor space available to many city schools.
"For so many schools, the street outside their door is the only outdoor space they have," Flynn said. "Soccer Streets shows what's possible when we give that space back to kids — for play, for learning, for community."
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is set to begin on June 11, with Mexico facing South Africa in the opening match.
New York City is among the host venues, with the United States, Canada and Mexico co-hosting the tournament. The U.S. opens its group stage against Paraguay; Canada faces Bosnia and Herzegovina.
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