New York City Mayor Zahran Mamdani joined the widespread debate over the World Cup match between Egypt and Argentina, making a notable comment during a press conference originally intended to discuss the city's new transportation and bus plan.

Mamdani said that reducing travel time would give New Yorkers extra time to spend with their families and friends, before jokingly adding: 'It will also give you time to agree with your friends that Egypt was robbed yesterday.'

The match ended with Egypt's defeat 3-2, after the Pharaohs had taken a 2-0 lead, before Lionel Messi's teammates turned the tables in the final minutes. A series of refereeing decisions sparked widespread global commentary, most notably the disallowance of an Egyptian goal and the failure to review a controversial incident inside Argentina's penalty area shortly before they scored their third goal on a counterattack.

After the match, the Egyptian Football Association announced it had filed an official complaint against French referee François Letexier and his officiating team, asserting that several decisions affecting the match's flow, along with the use of the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) technology, directly impacted the outcome.