SAN FRANCISCO, CALI — While many eyes are on the Super Bowl this weekend, another global sporting event is quickly approaching — the FIFA World Cup.
Several matches are headed to Gillette Stadium, which will be known as ‘Boston Stadium’ during the 2026 tournament.
While in San Francisco for Super Bowl week, Boston 25 News Anchor Nicole Gabe caught up with Jon Persch, Chief Commercial Officer for the FIFA Boston Host Committee, to talk about why World Cup organizers are already making noise — and what fans can expect.
Persch says being at the Super Bowl is the perfect opportunity to spotlight Boston as a host city.
“Come on, it’s Boston versus Seattle, right — what better story could we be telling ahead of the World Cup,” Persch said.
With seven matches scheduled in Foxboro, including a quarterfinal, Persch says the scale of the event will far exceed even the biggest American sporting spectacles.
Over the course of 39 days, Boston will host some of the world’s most recognizable national teams — including England, France, Norway, and Scotland — drawing massive global attention.
“With seven matches, the quarterfinal being held in Boston, there will be over a billion viewers looking at Boston for the quarterfinal alone,” Persch said.
Planning is already well underway, with coordination happening across city and state agencies, public safety officials, and local municipalities. Persch says despite the complexity, organizers are confident Boston is up to the challenge.
“We have immense planning going on with the city, the state, local officials, public safety — so it’s a lot to coordinate, but I think we are prepared and Boston’s ready,” he said.
Funding and logistics are still being worked through, especially as the city prepares for other major milestones.
“We’re still working through that. It’s challenging — there’s an awful lot going on in the city and the state,” Persch said. “It’s amazing, it’s the semiquincentennial — 250 years — and it all started in Boston. So there’s a lot to talk about and a lot to work through, but the governor and mayor and municipalities have been absolutely fantastic in working with us to put this together.”
World Cup coverage will also dwarf what’s seen during Super Bowl week, with international media descending on Boston to tell the city’s story to a worldwide audience.
“We’ve got you guys from Boston telling the local story, but we’ve got the world press to tell the entire story of Boston to the world,” Persch said.
Gabe did her interview at Radio Row at the Super Bowl, and Persch says the media presence at the World Cup will be even bigger.
“Yeah, there will be massive global media. I think this will be just a fraction of what’s there in terms of how this is being covered,” he said. “We’ve got you guys from Boston telling the local story, but we’ve got the world press to tell the entire story of Boston to the world.”
Foxboro is set to be one of the host locations, bringing World Cup action directly to New England.
The following games are set to be played at Gillette:
- Haiti vs. Scotland: Saturday, June 13 | Group C | @ 9 p.m.
- Iraq/Bolivia/Suriname v. Norway: Tuesday, June 16 | Group I | Match 18 -- @ 6 p.m.
- Scotland v. Morocco: Friday, June 19 | Group C | -- @ 6 p.m.
- England v. Ghana: Tuesday, June 23 | Group L | -- @ 4 p.m.
- Norway v. France: Friday, June 26 | Group I | -- @ 3 p.m.
The teams playing in the remaining two Boston dates — June 29 and July 9 — will be determined during the 2026 tournament.
Boston 25 is your home for the FIFA World Cup. The tournament kicks off in June, so stay tuned right here for all the excitement coming next summer.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup will last 39 days.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
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