Boston Picked As Host City For FIFA Men's World Cup 2026

BOSTON, MA — World Cup matches are coming to Massachusetts in 2026.

FIFA, the governing body of international soccer, said late Thursday afternoon that Boston was confirmed as one of the North American host cities. Games will be played at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro with viewing parties and other special events set for City Hall Plaza and throughout Boston.

"We are thrilled to welcome FIFA World Cup Soccer back to Massachusetts in
2026," Gov. Charlie Baker said. "The teams and their fans from around the world will be welcomed by the commonwealth’s restaurants and attractions both in Boston and beyond and we are appreciative of Robert Kraft for his efforts as Honorary Chair of the United Bid to help bring the World Cup back to the United States, as well as the Boston Soccer 2026 Committee for its tireless work to secure Boston as a host city.”

Boston was one of 10 United States cities chosen — joining Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Seattle. There are also three host cities in Mexico and two in Canada.

"The city of Boston is excited to once again welcome the worldwide soccer community and visitors as the FIFA WorldCup returns to Massachusetts," Mayor Michelle Wu said. "We're proud of our long legacy of championship teams and fans, and we're ready to showcase our city to soccer fans around the world as they come to celebrate the beautiful game."

The Massachusetts bid was seen as on the bubble throughout the day with its advantages being a modern international airport at Logan, an increasingly diverse population, college practice facilities and a stadium in Gillette that has hosted world soccer matches before.

Working against it was the stadium in Gillette that is actually 30 miles outside the city in Foxboro.

But in the end, Boston made the cut over rival bidders such as Washington D.C., Baltimore and Cincinnati.

"In line with the previous stages of the FIFA World Cup 2026 selection process, any announcement will be made in the best interests of football, taking into consideration the needs of all stakeholders involved, as we aim to lay the foundations for the tournament to be delivered successfully across all three countries," said FIFA Vice-President and Concacaf President Victor Montagliani. "We can only reiterate our appreciation to all the cities and the three member
associations for their efforts and dedication to this process."

The 2026 World Cup will mark the first time the tournament will host 48 teams from around the world. It will mark the first time the United States has hosted the event since the 1994 World Cup.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)