Unpaid bill has Foxboro refusing to grant license for World Cup games at Gillette Stadium

The home of the New England Patriots is standing strong until it gets paid.

Foxboro, Massachusetts, is set to host seven World Cup matches this summer at Gillette Stadium, where the Patriots play. However, the Boston-area organizing committee for the World Cup has not come up with the money yet.

'All we're trying to do is protect our citizens.'

Representatives from Boston 26, the host city initiative for the World Cup, met in Foxboro this week, where they received a lashing from city officials over the mysteriously absent funding.

"I'm shocked you're not sitting here in front of us right now saying, 'We got the money for ya,'" Foxboro Select Board Member Mark Elfman told the soccer officials on Tuesday.

Board members said they would not grant an entertainment license for the World Cup games until the organizers could put up the money needed for event and security fees, which is a reported $7 million, according to WHDH- TV.

The host committee says it is not at fault, but rather the federal government has simply yet to pay.

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"This task force is working on a daily basis to work with DHS and FEMA on that," Mike Loynd, CEO of Boston 26, told reporters. "I don't think I can say anything more about that. We're being told that it's, you know, it's expected any day now."

Select Board Member Bill Yukna described the World Cup games as the "equivalent of seven Super Bowls" over 39 days, requiring security for the stadium every single day throughout the event.

"All we're trying to do is protect our citizens," Yukna added.

Select Board Vice Chair Stephanie McGowan was more direct with the soccer officials, saying the small city of about 18,000 cannot simply front the millions of dollars required.

"We're not prepared to issue this license unless everything is in place," McGowan said, per WHDH. "I've seen people saying, 'Oh, there’s no way, they won't.' I’m going to tell you, this board will not issue this license," she affirmed.

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Photo by Kirby Lee/Getty Images

Sixteen venues are scheduled to host games for the 2026 World Cup, the most ever for a single tournament, according to Fox Sports.

Along with two venues in Canada and three in Mexico, 10 other U.S. stadiums are scheduled to host games: Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta; AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas; NRG Stadium in Houston; SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles; Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri; Hard Rock Stadium in Miami; MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey; Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia; Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California; and Lumen Field in Seattle.

The select board will meet again on March 3, and the deadline to issue the license is March 17.

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