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“As part of this arrangement, the Town of Foxborough will not incur any cost or financial burden related to the FIFA World Cup.”
The FIFA World Cup Boston 2026 logo on display at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough. Danielle Parhizkaran/Globe Staff
March 12, 2026 | 7:36 AM
1 minute to read
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Kraft agrees to help cover World Cup security costs, but Foxbourough leaders still unsatisfied
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No license yet for World Cup games as Foxborough asks for public safety funding up front
After weeks of an increasingly public standoff over security funding for the World Cup, the town of Foxborough, the Kraft Sports & Entertainment Group, and Boston Soccer 26 announced a deal on Wednesday night.
Surprisingly, given the worldly context, it was Foxborough that emerged having achieved essentially all of its demands. Having sought $7.8 million in funding ahead of the start of the World Cup to cover security costs, the town appears to now be ready to approve the entertainment license that the Select Board had held out on.
“Kraft Sports + Entertainment, Boston Soccer 2026 and the Town of Foxborough have reached an understanding collectively that will allow Boston Soccer 2026 and the Town of Foxborough to finalize the details needed to approve an event license at the March 17 public hearing and ensure a safe and successful FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament at Gillette Stadium this summer,” read a joint statement released by the groups on Wednesday.
“As part of this arrangement, the Town of Foxborough will not incur any cost or financial burden related to the FIFA World Cup, with Boston Soccer 2026 providing advance funding for security-related capital expenditures and the full extent of deployment that public safety officials have determined is needed to execute the event with Kraft Sports + Entertainment’s backing.”
The questions over funding escalated in February and March as the Foxborough Select Board refused to approve the entertainment license. Even an initial attempt from the Kraft Group to backstop some of the security funding was rejected by Foxborough, who still had questions about cost overruns.
Seven World Cup games are slated to take place at Gillette Stadium, with the first (Haiti vs. Scotland on June 13) now less than 100 days away.
“We look forward to moving forward together positively in our shared goals of providing the highest level of public safety for this historic event and delivering a global experience for our region,” the statement concluded, “which will infuse the Commonwealth and Foxborough with an influx of new visitors and associated economic impact.”
Hayden Bird is a sports staff writer for Boston.com, where he has worked since 2016. He covers all things sports in New England.
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