FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The back-and-forth dispute over who will fund security during Foxborough’s FIFA World Cup matches seems to be over, and local businesses are thrilled.
In a joint statement Wednesday night, the Town of Foxborough, Kraft Sports, and Boston’s host committee for the games announced an “understanding” had been met over who will be paying the $7.8M to keep the event safe.
As part of the arrangement, the town of Foxborough will not be responsible for security funding. Instead, Boston26 (the host committee) will provide advance funding for security-related expenditures with Kraft Sports backing.
The announcement means Foxborough can now address the entertainment license needed for the event to move forward, something the town refused to do until the security funding had been sorted out.
Just up the road from Gillette Stadium is C-Scott’s sandwich shop. It’s one of the establishments expected to be a hot spot for fans during the World Cup.
“It’s going to be crazy here. A lot of fans from all over the world. We’ve never experienced this, obviously, so it’s something new, but we’re ready, we’re ready for it,” manager Gus Ibrahim said.
Just across the street from them is Mich Morgan’s Irish Restaurant and Pub. One of the beers on tap there is from Allagash Brewing out of Portland, Maine.
Kyle Sherwood works for the company and stopped by Thursday. He said he’s relieved to know the funding dispute is seemingly over.
“The ‘Will they? Won’t they?’ means a lot for the businesses around here. I think people are really looking forward to the World Cup and what the World Cup is going to bring, so I think that was stressful. So, it’s amazing to hear it’s been figured out. Obviously, now we just get excited!” Sherwood exclaimed.
The nearly $8M in funding was originally supposed to come from the federal government under President Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill, but that money never arrived.
Thursday night, the Stadium Advisory Committee will meet to review event details and the event license application.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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