Locals make their pitch for marquee event
Here's how a sampling of New Englanders reacted to news that a 2026 World Cup game may be played in Gillette Stadium. Giovanni Scott, 29, Boston “Everyone would come out to see that, definitely. It would be great for business, it would be great for everyone, and it would definitely be something different. And you know, it's the home of the Patriots, so why not add something else to its resume?”
Aaron Naim, 18, Boston “I'm very, very excited about that, because I know the sport of soccer has a huge backing here in North America. We have Mexico that loves soccer, the United States, Canada. So it's good to see that the world is kind of changing.”
Pete McCue, 52, Woburn
“It's hard for me to keep my attention for that long of a time with really not much going on, as far as I can tell. I don't see any points being scored. There's just not enough action. It seems like the field needs to be a lot smaller.” Clement Nganga, 45, Dracut
“I think bringing soccer here brings it to the international market. The awareness that it creates is enormous, and I think it's good for Boston. When I came here, when I looked at the TV channels, there's not much soccer to be watched.”
Sean Reilly, 38, Maine
“I don't follow soccer. Nope. Maybe if they get more violent out there, and play soccer-football or something, but no. I'm not a big fan of it.”