2026 would be a great year to make the Pigeon mascot happen for NYCFC

New York City FC recently finished their 11th season of Major League Soccer play and celebrated the club's 10th anniversary of their first game at the beginning of the campaign. There have been ups and downs, but thankfully, the Pigeons have mostly competed for the playoffs every year. Plus, the future stadium will open, pending that everything is on time, in 2027.

But if there is one thing fans want before the move to Queens, then it is simple: supporters want a mascot. To be more specific, NYCFC needs to adopt the team's nickname and introduce a pigeon as the mascot and representative for the club.

NYCFC should introduce a pigeon mascot

Now, the idea of naming a pigeon as the mascot has been discussed before. Back in July, there was some hope that the Pigeons were going to announce the mascot since they were posting pigeon hints all over social media. But instead, NYCFC sent a five-story inflatable Pigeon to float around the five boroughs of New York City via the Hudson River. It was silly and insane, but it did catch some media attention.

It made sense, though, that supporters thought the Bronx side would reveal a pigeon mascot. Before the 2025 season, the club sent out a form for fans to fill out. The question was the following: "If New York City FC had a mascot, what would it be?"

Plus, there is a high number of fans who love the idea of a pigeon representing NYCFC. After all, pigeons are everywhere in the Big Apple, and there is a reason the team is also known as the Pigeons.

Again, this was previously discussed. So, the club should announce the pigeon as the mascot before the stadium opens. Specifically, they should do this in 2026. There is no better time, and it is something fun that can be introduced before the big event in 2027.

In addition, the World Cup is coming up in the summer, and NYCFC could utilize the pigeon mascot to advertise the team to locals and visitors alike. He or she, depending on the name, can visit fan fests, interact with people in the city, and more. Of course, the mascot should stay away from Times Square, for people might be afraid to take a picture since those in costumes request money.

The team could also take advantage of the local media, using the news broadcasts as a way to advertise the new mascot and highlight the team.

So, let's do this, NYCFC. Introduce the pigeon mascot, which is something that should have been done over the summer.