FIFA face Boston Stadium withdrawal unless it fronts up $8m for security costs

February 9 – The town of Foxborough, Massachusetts, is playing an unexpected poker hand in the 2026 World Cup conversation, not because of the matches it is scheduled to host, but because of who pays the piper when football’s biggest show comes barreling into town?

Town officials in the small municipality say they are fully committed to staging matches at Gillette Stadium, but they are not willing to write a blank cheque. Foxborough’s town manager, Paige Duncan, has made that position clear.

“Without a satisfactory resolution of this issue, the Town will not be able to act favorably on your application and finalize licensing,” Duncan wrote in a January letter to organisers, adding that the games “would therefore be at risk,” without clarity on funding for public safety, the licence required to host the tournament’s seven matches

The number officials are looking for is roughly $8 million which would cover policing and security in and around Gillette Stadium, a venue owned by The Kraft Group. Foxborough grants the same licence for Patriots games that FIFA now requires.

The federal government has earmarked $625 million for security across the 11 U.S. host cities, yet how much of that trickles down to Foxborough remains unclear.

“While grant funding or reimbursement through third parties may ultimately be available, the Town cannot rely on speculative or downstream funding,” Duncan wrote. “It just doesn’t work that way.”

Duncan was even blunter when speaking to ESPN: “If nobody gives money, there’s no World Cup in Foxborough.”

Julie Duffy of FIFA World Cup Boston 2026 says discussions are ongoing, and representatives are due to attend a town hall on February 17. A March 17 deadline looms.

So, is Foxborough genuinely prepared to walk away, or is this a high-stakes game of political poker? The World Cup rarely adjusts to local politics, but it also has to rely on them. For now, it appears the town holds all the aces. Whether FIFA returns with a straight flush or a red face will be revealed later this month.

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