“This moment means everything for so many across the city,” Mamdani told The Athletic in a recent interview. “It feels like the transformation of the world’s greatest city into the world greatest small town, where not only are we all thinking about the same thing, but we’re all praying for the same thing.”

Uzbekistan is new to the World Cup. Norway and Haiti haven’t been there in decades. For expat communities all over the city, the wait is nearly over.