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 politician’s mayoral campaign.
The NYC-themed jerseys were being sold for $50 a pop — a fraction of the official national team jerseys that range from $150 to $300 each.
Customers were able to take home a maximum of two — meaning they could have been sold out by the time the 751st fan walked through the door.
One Brooklynite told The Post he biked over in the morning, believing the line wouldn’t be “too bad” — and was shocked to see hundreds of people already in front of him by 8 a.m.
“It’s a really cool idea, but I wish more kits were made,” the dejected fan said.
Mayor Zohran Mamdani teased Friday morning that there would be a second jersey drop due to the high demand, but City Hall could not immediately provide further information.
While the line near City Hall was still going strong, Mamdani announced that the Big Apple will also be hosting overnight pickup soccer games in every borough throughout the World Cup, which started Thursday and ends July 19.
New Yorkers ages 18 and up can play in NYC OpenPlay’s 7-v-7 games organized by skill level — with staffed matches starting at 10:30 p.m. and continuing as late as 8 a.m.
The matches will be held at Hudson River Park’s Chelsea Waterside in Manhattan, Astoria Park in Queens, Calvert Vaux Park in Brooklyn, Soundview Park in The Bronx and Fairview Park on Staten Island.
“New Yorkers know that some of the best soccer in the world isn’t played at a stadium — it’s played in our parks,” Mamdani said in a statement.
“As the World Cup comes to our city, we want every New Yorker to have a chance to pull on a pinnie, get onto the field or root for their fellow New Yorkers,” he said.
“That’s what NYC Open Play is all about: free fields, lights on, goals up and a place for New Yorkers to come together through the world’s game. Whether you’re playing your first match or your thousandth, there’s a place for you.”