More than 100 inmates at the sprawling Rikers Island correctional facility gathered in a gymnasium at the complex’s main intake center to watch Wednesday’s semifinal match between England and Argentina. Arriving inmates dressed in tan uniforms took seats at tables facing a projection screen showing the game. Colorful balloon towers topped by soccer ball balloons framed the screen. The special event is for inmates who have shown good behavior, including being incident free at least for 30 days. The jail has been hosting watch parties since the tournament kicked off last month. There have been 90 such events with about 4,500 of the roughly 6,600 inmates participating.

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Rikers Island inmates watch the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina, at the jail complex in New York, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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Rikers Island inmates react as New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani, not pictured, leaves the jail complex during a World Cup semifinal soccer match watch party for the game between England and Argentina, in New York, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks with Rikers Island inmates as they watch the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina, at the jail complex in New York, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani speaks with Rikers Island inmates as they watch the World Cup semifinal soccer match between England and Argentina, at the jail complex in New York, Wednesday, July 15, 2026. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

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FILE - A sign marks the entrance to a series of hardened tents at the Camp East Montana immigrant detention center in the desert at a U.S. Army base on the outskirts of El Paso, Texas, Feb. 13, 2026. (AP Photo/Morgan Lee, File)