Thousands of eager fans line up as early as 1 a.m. to net limited-edition NYC World Cup jerseys

They aren’t Messi-ng around.Thousands of soccer fans swarmed Lower Manhattan on Friday — some lining up as early as 1 a.m.— to get their hands on limited edition New York City-themed World Cup jerseys as soccer fever intensifies in the Big Apple.Christian Pichardo of Sunnyside secured the No.

1 spot in the queue at the NYC City Store by plopping down outside One Centre Street at 1 a.m.after catching a movie nearby — and sitting outside for eight hours before the shop opened.“There were only 1,500 jerseys that were going to be sold.

There’s gonna be a really high demand … And New Yorkers seem to like standing in line,” said Pichardo, 26.“My choice was either, ‘Do I go home and like, sleep for two hours and try to get there at 4 a.m.? Or do I just power through and go straight after the movie?’ So that’s what I did.”The Queens resident worked on his laptop, ate snacks and made friends with the dozens of other early birds who started filing in over the next few hours.The experience was exhilarating for Pichardo, who won’t be attending any of the 2026 FIFA Men’s World Cup games at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey but plans to watch at his neighborhood bar and cheer on FC Barcelona’s players.“It was super cool.I’m really excited about the World Cup!” he said, adding that he took home two “shirts “New York City” jerseys — one for himself and one for his girlfriend.The line ultimately grew to around 1,000 people before the shop opened at 9 a.m., meaning plenty of hopeful fans walked away empty-handed.

There were just 1,500 jerseys up for grabs, with fans having their choice of three different color combos: referee-like white and black, a taxi-esque yellow and black and an orange and red option.The kits were designed by local artist Arsh Raziuddin, the Mayor’s Office’s design consultant for the World Cup, and manufactured by Brooklyn-based Mazzi Sport — which launched Mamdani Futbol Club jerseys last summer during the poli...