Boston World Cup organizers reiterated their commitment to funding security costs in a letter sent Thursday to Foxborough town officials in a further attempt to settle a dispute that threatens a license FIFA needs to use the stadium.
In the letter, signed by Boston Soccer 2026 president Mike Loynd and general counsel Curtis Franks, the organizers committed to paying any public safety costs within two business days of being invoiced. The host committee also sent written documentation that Kraft Sports & Entertainment, a division of the Kraft Group that owns the stadium, will backstop the funding if needed.
To address town officials’ concerns about the host committee’s finances, Loynd and Franks wrote that the committee had $2 million in its bank accounts as of Thursday morning and will receive at least $30 million more.
“With BS26’s current funds, additional government funding and commercial activity, and the financial commitment from KSE, there can be no doubt that BS26 has the means to pay all amounts as they come due in connection with hosting World Cup Events,” they wrote.
At the heart of the dispute is nearly $8 million that the town says it needs to pay to local police. While Foxborough awaits money from a federal grant, which has been delayed by the partial government shutdown, town officials want the organizers to guarantee the funds up front.
At a local board meeting earlier this week, two attorneys representing the host committee told town officials they would pay, but the two sides remained at odds. After the meeting, board chair Bill Yukna told reporters that while the host committee had made assurances, the town had “seen nothing in writing.”
In the letter, the organizers wrote that they believe they have addressed “each and every one of the concerns” local police and fire chiefs identified for the World Cup.
Foxborough town officials are scheduled to vote on granting FIFA a license to use the stadium for seven World Cup games at their next meeting on March 17. Gillette Stadium is set to host its first match on June 13, when Scotland takes on Haiti.
ESPN has contacted the town manager for comment.
