New York (AFP) – The World Cup carnival arrived in New York on Saturday, but it was drowned out by the city’s elation after the hometown Knicks broke a 53-year curse to win the NBA Finals.
The 2026 World Cup debut of five-time winners Brazil, who ground out an uninspiring 1-1 draw against Morocco, was overshadowed by the Knicks’ 94-90 victory over the San Antonio Spurs.
New York erupted in celebration in the aftermath, with fans letting off fireworks and a cacophony of cheers and car horns reverberating around the city.
“Knicks in five!” chanted crowds after the hometown basketball dynasty sealed the seven-match series in five.
“It’s been so long, it’s been such a long time coming, you know?” Stephen Maltz, a 31-year-old airline pilot, said at a viewing party in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn.
“And it’s just in a time where the city needs to have something to get stoked about, it’s got to be this,” added Maltz, who tore off his signature orange and blue Knicks T-shirt and ran down the street in celebration.
Times Square in central Manhattan was packed with Brazil and Morocco fans following their clash, but the rest of the city surged with elated crowds of Knicks fans.
A New York Knicks fan celebrates after the Knicks defeated the San Antonio Spurs in Game 5 of the NBA Finals basketball series, Saturday, June 13, 2026, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Darren Abate)
“Everyone could unite over the New York Knicks, and that’s what we’re doing right now,” power plant worker Austin Fitzgerald, 31, told AFP.
“There’s no other feeling like New York basketball.”
While Fitzgerald acknowledged that the city would bask in the win following the fixture that was played in Texas, he insisted the Big Apple would now be ready to fully embrace the World Cup.
“There’s more soccer and football fans here than I think than any other city in America,” he said.
“Having games at MetLife, and just being able to stay in the city and commute” would appeal to New Yorkers new to football, he added.
In Midtown, bars were so packed that Knicks fans were forced to peer through windows to watch the thrilling final moments of the match.
No ‘big buzz’
In an industrial section of Brooklyn, the manager of an indoor five-a-side arena said ahead of the Knicks win that “obviously the Knicks, as they should, are over-shining” the World Cup.
“Basketball is so beloved in the city of New York,” 24-year-old Lucas Matuszewski explained.
“I’ve not really seen a lot (of World Cup fever). I’ve seen a few fellow Scots but we’re not seeing a big buzz for it yet,” said Aidan Smith, 29, a communications manager at a Scottish football club who wore both a Knicks hat and his full national strip.
There were signs that businesses were expecting a delayed onset of football mania.
“I do think it’s going to get hectic and crazy without a doubt, and especially at this pub, because we’re a football pub,” said Vanessa Whalen, owner of the Black Bull in Brooklyn.