The FIFA World Cup host committee for Boston has announced plans to host a Fan Fest at City Hall Plaza during the tournament, but FIFA is yet to receive an entertainment license to host matches at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough amid local funding disputes.
On Tuesday, a group of local politicians, including Massachusetts governor Maura Healey, Boston mayor Michelle Wu, and Boston host committee chief executive Mike Loynd, were all in attendance to announce the City Hall Plaza Fan Fest site. Seven matches will take place at Gillette Stadium, with five group-stage games, one round-of-32 game, and one quarter-final scheduled.
In a news release, the Boston Host Committee claimed the World Cup would generate more than $1billion in projected economic impact across the region, while adding that the Fan Fest would be for “up to 16 days.”
However, the Fan Fest announcement was scarce on clear or confirmed details. According to a host city agreement between FIFA and Seattle, which are broadly similar across the tournament, FIFA and host cities originally aimed to provide a Fan Fest every day during the tournament.
Yet events have since been significantly scaled back in many host cities. Loynd said his team are currently “imagining something like 16 days” of Fan Fest during the 39-day competition, but added there is a need to be “fiscally responsible” and that a mixture of public and private money is at play. He said more precise plans will follow in March.
Loynd also did not confirm that the event will be free for guests to attend. New York City and New Jersey’s joint host committee has announced that it will charge $10 per person to enter Fan Fest.
Scotland begin their 2026 World Cup campaign at Gillette Stadium (Stu Forster / Getty Images)
“We are really determined to make it free at this point,” Loynd said, before glancing at the politicians in the room. “I look around because we do have to fund it. But our goal is to make this a free experience.”
The host committee is still to learn the full extent of the Massachusetts state funding for the World Cup, with NBC Boston previously reporting that the host committee is seeking $20 million.
Other host cities have confirmed their plans for Fan Fests. Kansas City is hosting a free 25,000-capacity event at the National WW1 Museum and Memorial, with two large stages and almost 4,500 square feet of video boards, which will allow guests to enjoy matches and live entertainment performances. The event will run on the six days Kansas City will host games during the World Cup, as well as on the days when the U.S. men’s national team is competing, and for other select game days that have crossover appeal.
New York City and New Jersey have also announced events across 39 days at Liberty State Park, and 11 days at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, the home of the U.S. Open. The Athletic revealed in December that the host committee in the San Francisco Bay Area is considering a significantly reduced approach to official fan festivals in the region after being allocated a group-stage draw that is short of leading nations or highly marketable star names.
Over the past week, however, another major issue has publicly emerged for Boston. The town of Foxborough is threatening to withhold an entertainment license from the World Cup if it does not receive the $7.7m required for security funding during the tournament. The town is the home of Gillette Stadium, owned by the Kraft Group, whose New England Patriots competed in the Super Bowl last weekend.
As part of the original hosting agreement between cities and FIFA, a host city’s overall responsibility for costs comprises safety, security and protection, including all related safety and security measures for all individuals and entities attending the competition.
The cities have been helped by a $625m commitment from President Donald Trump’s administration in federal funding, but many have required tens of millions in additional state and city taxpayer dollars, as well as private donations or support. However, the share of the $625m funding must be applied for and subsequently reimbursed, meaning somebody needs to lay out the $7.7m required sooner in order for the games to go ahead.
According to the Boston Business Journal, Bill Yukna, the chair of the Foxborough Select Board, said at a meeting last week that local officials had presumed the Kraft Group would cover the costs for security, in the same way they do for Patriots games. Yet because the owners have effectively sublet the venue to FIFA for the tournament, the Kraft Group is not currently fulfilling this function, leaving a funding gap. The town of Foxborough also does not believe local taxpayers are obliged to fund a global sporting event.
“The town is going to stand behind the request of the $7.7m for both manpower and some capital and expense items. And if they aren’t met, then as this board has discussed in the past, the license won’t be granted. We are going to be very clear with that,” Yukna said at the Foxborough Select Board meeting last Tuesday.
On Monday, Yukna told the Boston Globe: “We’ve spent the last year planning for the security and safety of the stadium and the event, but the issue comes down to one of the town not being responsible for the costs associated with that security — it really falls to either the Kraft Sports and Entertainment Group or FIFA to cover those costs.”
The town has placed a March 17 deadline to receive its funding to grant the license. “Our issue quite honestly is grants don’t really work for us in the sense of timing,” said Yukna. “We obviously would have to pay all the officers and any of the (new capital) purchases before the grant would reimburse us.”
In a further statement to the Boston Globe, Foxborough Town said: “We believe it is reasonable and appropriate that FIFA and/or event partners provide the funding necessary to support the public safety and operational requirements that come with hosting these matches.”
FIFA declined to comment for this story when asked if it would provide the funding, while it also declined to say whether its president, Gianni Infantino, discussed the matter with Robert Kraft, the owner of the New England Patriots, when he attended the Super Bowl as Kraft’s guest on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium.
While original contracts agreed between FIFA and host cities placed the responsibility for security costs with cities, local lawmakers are increasingly recognizing that FIFA is receiving the vast bulk of guaranteed revenues associated with the tournament, as ticketing, sponsorship and even parking revenue solely goes to FIFA, while cities seek to claw back investments largely through economic impact.
FIFA and the Kraft Group have been approached for comment, with FIFA also asked if it could provide any assurances to fans who have already spent money on flights and tickets to attend the events.
When asked about the funding gap and licensing issue on Tuesday at the news conference, Boston host committee CEO Loynd said: “We’re working through that right now. There are answers for all of it. We were on the phone last night with Paige (Duncan) and Bill (Yukna). Paige is the town manager and Bill is the select board chair.
“We’ve been in detailed conversations with FIFA and the stadium on this. I think we’ll come to a very good conclusion. The answer is, I think we’ll have all of that done. It takes a few days. This licensing process is always difficult. The stadium has been doing it for many years, but this one is not so easy. We have a bunch of complicated issues we’re facing.
“So the answer is I’m comfortable that we’ll be there. We have a meeting in another week with the select board meeting, where we anticipate almost all of the details being wrapped up. We have another month before then, when the final submission date is in place.”
