Foxboro makes its pitch as host site
FOXBORO — Brian Bilello emphasized venue, media market and infrastructure as the primary selling points for bringing the 2026 FIFA World Cup to Gillette Stadium.
The chairman of Boston 2016 and president of the New England Revolution made his sales pitch to the FIFA Congress public during a press briefing yesterday in the media room at Gillette Stadium.
The 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow accepted the united bid of Mexico, Canada and the United States to bring the world soccer championships to North America eight years from now. Boston is one of 23 cities in contention to host matches.
FIFA’s Members Association for the first time were given the opportunity to vote on the host for the World Cup. The ballot came back 134-65 in favor of the North American coalition, marking the first time three nations were selected as joint hosts.
“The North American bid in general and the Boston bid are very similar,” said Bilello. “Certainty and costs were two very big points, and when you look at our bid here in Boston the venue exits, the transportation infrastructure exits, the airport exits and the hotels exist. There is nothing that needs to be built to bring the World Cup to Boston, and that is really important. From the big picture standpoint, this is going to be a relatively easy, low-cost event to bring to North America and bring to Boston.”
The last appearance of the men’s World Cup’s in New England was at the old Foxboro Stadium in 1994, an event that, according to Bilello, transformed soccer in the region. He credited that tournament for spawning Major League Soccer and creating a franchise market in Boston for the Revolution, which is owned by the Kraft family. The Revs first home game was on April 27, 1996.
Foxboro has hosted several international soccer events, including the 1999 and 2003 FIFA Women’s World Cups, the 2001 CONCACAF World Cup qualifier between the United States and Jamaica, the 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and the 2016 Copa America Centenario quarterfinal match between Argentina and Venezuela.
Bilello anticipates another soccer renaissance if Boston can secure a 2026 bid.
“If you look at participation and interest in the sport, it was really stagnant for a very long time in this country,” said Bilello. “Soccer is one of the largest sports unequivocally in the United States, and there is no way you can’t trace that back to 1994 and the ongoing influence it had on the sport in the country.”
Revolution and Patriots owner Robert Kraft is the honorary chairman of the board of the United Bid Committee, a position that Bilello insisted does not give Gillette Stadium an inside track to one of the coveted spots. But Kraft is a power broker on the American sports landscape, and United Bid also got letters of recommendation from the highest office in the land.
“He spent a lot of time and a lot of hours working with the highest levels of our government to ensure we did what we needed to do to get the bid here,” said Bilello. “You could see President Trump’s support for the bid, and there was a New York Times article about three letters President Trump wrote supporting the bid.”