Mamdani visits World Cup watch party at Rikers Island

The mayor stopped by a World Cup watch party hosted for over 100 inmates at Rikers Island this week.

Mayor Zohran Mamdani joined inmates at Rikers Island to watch a World Cup match this week in the infamous prison complex. Footage from the Associated Press shows the mayor sitting with dozens of inmates during a semifinals game with England and Argentina. Here's what to know.

Mamdani joins prisoners at Rikers Island On Wednesday, Mamdani had visited more than 100 inmates and joined them for a World Cup watch party, the AP reported. Inmates were rewarded with the event for good behavior. The mayor, absent his typical blazer, sat at a table with inmates, watching what turned out to be one of the most down-to-the-wire matches yet.

"These are New Yorkers, and they will be New Yorkers when they get out of Rikers," Mamdani told the outlet. "I want to just make sure that we can celebrate this moment together." Mamdani on Rikers In April, Mamdani named a Close Rikers czar as the city has worked for almost a decade to shut down the jail complex, which has garnered a reputation for rough conditions for people in custody and guards alike.

In 2017, former NYC Mayor Bill De Blasio announced that the prison complex would be shuttering its doors for good, but that it would take a while for it to completely close. The hope is to eventually close the island to incarcerated individuals in a decarceration plan, replacing it with four other jails in Manhattan, The Bronx, Queens and Brooklyn. Last month, the city announced that the Department of Corrections North Infirmary Command, a vacant jail at Rikers, would be closed and given to the Department of Citywide Administrative Services.

According to officials, the Brooklyn branch is expected to be completed in 2029, the Bronx and Queens location to be finished in 2031 and the Manhattan jail to be done in 2032. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mamdani visits World Cup watch party at Rikers Island