BOSTON — Fan celebrations for FIFA World Cup matches will be concentrated at City Hall Plaza, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announced Tuesday, with the first game now only about four months away.
Wu said the World Cup Fan Festival will be held “right in the heart of our city,” and she joked it will be situated outside “the most beautiful building in the city.” Watch parties will also be hosted in neighborhoods throughout the city, and Boston plans to “elevate” the city’s annual block party grants, Wu said.
A portion of the $10 million that the Legislature approved for the World Cup will support FanFest, House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz said.
“To have something centralized like this I think is going to be very valuable,” said Michlewitz, noting the experience will allow more Bay Staters to enjoy the World Cup, particularly those who cannot afford tickets to the games.
FanFest could span about 16 days, but more details will be ironed out by March, said Mike Loynd, president of FIFA World Cup Boston 2026.
“Our goal is to make this a free experience,” Loynd said.
The mayor has been pushing for more events to be held at the renovated and spacious City Hall Plaza. The space can fit 10,000 to 12,000 people on the main plaza, and about 20,000 to 25,000 people on the entire plaza, city officials said in 2022.
Seven matches are planned for Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, and the first game is on June 13. Visitors from across the world are expected to visit Massachusetts. Organizers have long eyed Boston — located 27 miles away from “Boston Stadium” — as the hub for fan festivities.
In a December report, state security officials warned that the status of events — including still-to-be-determined locations for FanFest celebrations, plus team base camps and hotels — was hampering their planning efforts. Officials described FanFest as a “public viewing event” that will be a “key component to the fan experience and celebration.”
“While the state does not have a role in committing to a location, it does have a role in planning to deliver a safe and secure environment for the selected location,” the report from the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security said.
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