Gillette To Host Boston World Cup Matches
- Officials outlined transportation plans and costs for Boston-area World Cup matches at Gillette Stadium this summer. - Gillette will be rebranded 'Boston Stadium' and host seven World Cup matches from June 13 to July 9. - Officials also discussed tailgating rules, FIFA Fan Festival logistics, and estimated added transit costs (patch.com).
Boston’s World Cup matches are heading to Foxborough with big-event rules and big-event prices: seven games at Gillette Stadium, renamed “Boston Stadium,” from June 13 to July 9. (cbsnews.com) The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority will run 14 express trains from South Station to Foxboro Station for each match, and the round-trip ticket costs $80. The ride takes about an hour, tickets must be bought in advance in the mTicket app, and riders need a same-day match ticket to purchase one. (mbta.com) Organizers also rolled out Boston Stadium Express buses from Logan Airport and hotels around Greater Boston. Those round-trip bus fares are priced by distance and run as high as $95, while parking at the stadium is capped at 5,000 spaces per match. (cbsnews.com, boston.com) That transportation plan reflects the basic geography of Boston’s tournament: the host city is Boston, but the matches are more than 20 miles away in Foxborough. The MBTA says there is no subway or regular bus service to the stadium on match days, so special trains are the only direct transit option it will run. (mbta.com) Officials are also still sorting out a familiar New England game-day ritual. The Boston host committee’s website said traditional tailgating would not be permitted, but host committee president Mike Loynd said on April 21 that organizers were still talking with FIFA and the stadium and could revisit the rule. (cbsnews.com) Inside Boston, the city is building a separate World Cup hub at City Hall Plaza. The official FIFA Fan Festival will run for 16 days, from June 12 through June 27, with free admission, live broadcasts of two to three matches a day, food vendors and cultural programming. (bostonfwc26.com) Boston Stadium’s seven-match slate includes five group-stage games, a Round of 32 match on June 29 and a quarterfinal on July 9. The teams already confirmed to play in Foxborough include Haiti, Scotland, Iraq, Norway, Morocco, England, Ghana and France. (cbsnews.com, gillettestadium.com) The result is a split-screen World Cup for the region: downtown Boston gets the free public festival, while ticket holders heading to Foxborough face advance booking, security rules and premium travel costs. With just over 50 days to go as officials gave their April 21 update, the transportation plan is now largely set even as the tailgating question remains open. (cbsnews.com, mbta.com)
