Foxborough World Cup games in jeopardy? What to know about 2026 funding battle
· Yahoo Sports
Tense local government meetings left more questions and provided a deadline for clarity ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup matches scheduled to be held in Foxborough, Massachusetts.
The issue is $7.8 million in funding for safety-related measures during the seven scheduled matches that will take place about 30 miles south of Boston at the home of the New England Patriots. The Town of Foxborough’s select board set a March 17 deadline for the licensing agreement – essentially allowing the games to function – to be in place, which means the two sides have less than two weeks to come to a détente, during its biweekly meeting March 3.
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Attorneys for the Boston 2026 host committee who attended the meeting told town officials the organization is willing to foot the bill. The Kraft Group, which owns the Patriots, will fund any shortfall, according to the lawyers.
The federal government, through the Department of Homeland Security, is providing $625 million to the 11 United States host cities. The current partial government shutdown, however, has clouded the timing of that payment. And the town board says that allocation won’t cover all the costs because it will be shared across different statewide agencies and would leave an unspecified funding gap. Boston 2026 said it will pay the town in full within two days of being presented with an invoice; if not, language in the proposed license will say that the license can be terminated. The public hearing for the license is Tuesday, March 17.
FIFA has been absent from the deliberations and has let the host committee negotiate. The first match is scheduled for June 13 (Scotland vs. Haiti) and the competition lasts in the area until a quarterfinals match on July 9.
“All key stakeholders are collaboratively engaged in continued partnership, progress is being made daily and we remain confident we’ll reach a positive outcome over the coming weeks,” Boston host committee chief marketing and communications officer Julie Duffy told The Athletic on Tuesday.
The type of equipment required to secure the area for the duration of those 39 days, and not just the seven match dates, is the heart of the funding. The select board is adamant about not leaving taxpayers on the hook for the costs.
Michael Grace, police chief for the town, said the matter needed to be settled immediately so officers can train with the new equipment – which should already be onsite rather than a proposed June 1 deadline.
During the World Cup, the venue will not be called Gillette Stadium. FIFA’s licensing agreement with The Kraft Group means it will be referred to as “Boston Stadium” for any tournament-related matters.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: FIFA, Boston host committee at odds with Foxboro over security money