NY hotel workers union gifts World Cup tickets to staff, housekeeper attends match

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The lucky hotel employees gather at MetLife Stadium, with Sonia Martinez third from left, Lisette Alba behind her making a victory sign, and Martha Bustillo on the far right. (Hotel & Gaming Trades Council)

By Asli Pelit July 17, 2026 6:00 am EDT | Updated

For Martha Bustillo, the World Cup arrived one suitcase at a time.

For the 65-year-old housekeeper at the Lexington Hotel on East 48th Street, the tournament transformed her workplace. It came through the hotel's lobby and elevator banks, in flags tucked into carry-ons, jerseys draped across beds and conversations with guests from England, Brazil, France, Norway and Morocco.

For the thousands of fans who visited during the World Cup, the hotel was a stop on the way to MetLife Stadium. For Bustillo and her colleagues, it was a front-row seat to the biggest sporting event New York hosted.

Inside the city's hotels, workers became the tournament's unofficial ambassadors. They welcomed fans from around the world, fed them after long matchdays and guided them through an unfamiliar city as New York briefly transformed into a global soccer capital. In lobbies, kitchens and guest rooms, they absorbed the rhythms of the World Cup, sharing in the joy of victory and offering quiet comfort after defeat.

Bustillo was born in Honduras and grew up playing soccer barefoot in the streets of her small village before immigrating to the United States. She was thrilled when FIFA awarded eight matches to the city she has called home for the last 30 years.

But that excitement soon gave way to disappointment when she found out the cheapest ticket for a World Cup group-stage game at MetLife averaged around $900, making attending a match seem impossible for someone whose salary is just above $80,000 a year. Bustillo, like so many working-class New Yorkers, found herself priced out of the sport she loves.

But she didn't let it dampen her excitement.

New York and New Jersey have welcomed fans from around the globe during the World Cup (Charly Triballeau/AFP via Getty Images)

Day after day, Bustillo experienced the World Cup through the guests staying at the Lexington Hotel. Before Brazil's match against Morocco, she cleaned a room occupied by Brazilian supporters. "I told them, 'I'm not Brazilian, but I'm rooting for you,'" she says.

The fans were touched by her enthusiasm. Before they left, they gave her a Brazil jersey and a handful of souvenirs.

Then the World Cup came back to her.

Bustillo was one of 24 hotel employees from New York and New Jersey, represented by the Hotel & Gaming Trades Council, AFL-CIO, chosen for their volunteer work to attend a match at MetLife Stadium. The union's initiative is part of a broader effort by New York and New Jersey officials to make World Cup tickets available to residents who might otherwise be priced out. Throughout the tournament, state and city programs have distributed or reserved tickets for more than 2,500 people across the region.

When Bustillo's phone rang with the news, she could hardly believe it. She was going to watch Panama play England in the group stage.

A few days later, while cleaning rooms, she saw Panama jerseys and struck up a conversation with the guests. "I will be at the game," she told them. Surprised, the Panamanian guests asked her to cheer for...