Designed by Matt Welch / GBH; image credit iStock.com / master1305
Boston is one of 16 cities across North America hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup. Massachusetts officials expect the seven games played at Gillette Stadium — renamed Boston Stadium for the monthlong event — will bring as many two million soccer fans to the region.
From the nitty-gritty logistics of traveling to the stadium to how local Haitian and Brazilian communities are cheering on their teams, GBH News is following the people — and problems — involved with putting on the world’s biggest sports tournament.
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On this South Walpole street, homeowners earn thousands selling front-lawn parking to World Cup fans
Fans heading to World Cup matches pay premium prices to park on the lawns of property owners that border Foxborough and Gillette Stadium. -
FIFA didn’t offer GBH News media credentials for the World Cup. We went anyway.
We paid to see Tuesday's Norway versus Iraq game on Tuesday in Foxborough. Doing so let us experience the game the same way thousands of other fans did. -
Dorchester watch party erupts with joy as Cape Verde ties Spain in first-ever World Cup match
The 0-0 draw was among the most shocking in the history of the World Cup soccer tournament. -
‘We’re having a party!’: Inside a school bus with Scottish soccer fans headed to the World Cup
Faced with the high cost of transportation to the soccer tournament, Scotland's Tartan Army rented “every single yellow school bus” in the region to get to Foxborough to see their team play Haiti. -
Haiti loses to Scotland in first big weekend of World Cup games in Mass.
Haiti had made its first and only other appearance in the men’s World Cup back in 1974. -
Photos from the US team victory in first World Cup match
The U.S. team earned a 4-1 win over Paraguay in Inglewood, California, matching the biggest World Cup victory by an American squad ever. Here are photos from the match. -
‘You have only one lifetime’: Soccer fans take over Boston as World Cup gets underway
State officials expect as many as two million soccer fans from across the world to descend on the region. -
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World Cup fans: Here’s what to do in and around Boston other than watch soccer
For those who didn’t manage to snag arena tickets, or are simply look for different events across Boston, here’s our guide to some museums, quirky stops, and Sail Boston events to keep you entertained whether you are just visiting Boston, or are a full-time resident. -
A monument on Boston Common hides the city’s ties to soccer
As Boston hosts seven FIFA World Cup games over the next two months, some sports historians say the city’s historical connections to soccer are often overlooked.
